Dutch Regulator Mandates Bet365 to Improve Affordability Verification Processes
The Netherlands Gambling Authority has issued a mandatory directive to bet365’s Dutch arm,to Improve Affordability Verification after determining that the company failed to adequately evaluate player affordability and respond when signs of financial difficulty emerged. The regulator pointed out that these lapses persisted over several months despite multiple warnings. bet365’s Dutch Verification
The authority highlighted that the issues spanned from at least December 2024 to June 2025. Throughout this timeframe, bet365 did not sufficiently act on warnings that some players might be risking more than they could afford. In numerous instances, measures to intervene or restrict problematic gambling behavior were either ineffective or not implemented at all.
Dutch law mandates extra protections when players surpass certain deposit limits. For players aged 18 to 23, a documented affordability assessment is required if they aim to deposit over 300 euros monthly. For those aged 24 and above, the threshold rises to 700 euros. If such assessments are not performed, operators must block further deposits until the next month. The regulator concluded that these rules were not followed consistently by bet365.
In November 2024, the regulator requested comprehensive details from bet365 regarding its approach to evaluating players’ financial capacity and how it responded to risk signals. Subsequently, authorities reviewed a selection of individual player files and discovered that, in many cases, bet365 relied on self-reported questionnaires to determine affordability. The regulator had already cautioned earlier in 2025 that questionnaires alone are insufficient for conducting proper means tests.
In early 2025, bet365 was explicitly directed to base affordability evaluations solely on verifiable documents such as payslips or tax returns. However, the company continued to rely on questionnaires in some instances. When documentary evidence was used, calculations frequently proved inaccurate. Numerous cases showed players allowed to deposit amounts amounting to 31.8 percent of their assessed monthly net income, with some deposits surpassing the total income figure.
During a January 2025 meeting, bet365 acknowledged the regulator’s interpretation of the rules and committed to adjusting its procedures accordingly. In follow-up communications, the company stated plans to enhance internal processes and to gather additional player data, cross-verified with reliable sources.
Hillside has now formally contested the binding order. The company argues that the 2024 Responsible Gaming Policy does not explicitly require affordability checks to be supported by documentation like payslips or tax returns. It claims that affordability assessments can be made through player statements combined with trustworthy public information, similar to source of funds checks used in anti-money laundering procedures.
Furthermore, bet365 contends that the regulator’s expectations have shifted over time, creating ambiguity and undermining legal certainty and legitimate expectations for licensed operators. Based on this, the company has requested the instruction be revoked or at least narrowed in scope. The objection does not halt the regulator’s order. bet365 is given four weeks to bring its Dutch operations into compliance.
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The authority expects the company to properly log and analyze warning signals of financial distress, conduct affordability assessments based solely on sufficient and verifiable documentation, and implement appropriate measures such as deposit restrictions or adjusted limits. The regulator cautioned that failure to meet these requirements could lead to further enforcement actions, including financial penalties or, in the most severe cases, revocation of the license. bet365’s Dutch Verification
