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Michel Groothuizen, Chair of the Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), is sounding the alarm—the legal gambling market is under growing pressure, and without stronger, more coordinated global enforcement, illegal operators could outpace regulated ones.
His message?
It’s time for regulators, tech firms, and payment providers to band together into a kind of “Gambling Interpol.” How realistic is this? Let’s break it down.
The Issue? Legal Market Under Pressure
Groothuizen reflects on how, since the Netherlands legalized online gambling in 2021, they’ve built strong infrastructure (like a central data vault and the Cruks exclusion register) to protect players and reduce the influence of the illegal market.
But, he warns, the digital game has evolved much faster than lawmakers predicted.
The influx of gambling ads after legalization was massive, he says—a so-called “advertising tsunami” that regulators had already feared.
Now, the tougher rules (like a ban on untargeted ads) may have helped reduce some exposure, but Groothuizen believes a total ad ban could backfire, driving more players to illegal, unregulated sites where there’s no protection at all.
Even more concerning, he argues, is that while player channelization (how many people use legal sites) in the Netherlands is above 90%, the legal licensed sector’s turnover share has now dropped below 50%.
That means that roughly half of all gambling expenditure now goes to illegal sites. Groothuizen warns unlicensed operators might already be handling more money than that, and more than the regulated ones.
His Bold Proposal? A “Gambling Interpol”
Groothuizen is pushing for a radical idea—European authorities banding together for a Europe-wide enforcement structure that could and should ultimately become global. A type of a “gambling Interpol.”
According to him, no single watchdog can keep up with the creativity and reach of illegal operators, who use everything from social media and influencers to dark-web techniques.
It’s like ”battling a 21st century war with medieval tech.”
He also emphasizes the role of big tech and financial institutions: “blocking visibility and payment routes sharply reduces the attractiveness of illegal sites.”
If tech platforms refuse to host or amplify rogue operators, and banks or payment providers block their money flows, it becomes much harder for these illegal sites to operate.
Cooperation in Motion, but in Infancy
He also claims KSA is already starting to ‘walk the talk,’ and stepping up collaboration.
Domestically, the regulator is working more closely with licensed operators. Internationally, it’s building ties with foreign regulators, including one deal signed recently with the UK gambling regulator.
Groothuizen points out one stark fact: six of the top 20 illegal operators in the UK also appear in the Dutch top 10. That overlap makes shared data and joint strategies especially valuable, he says.
Is “Gambling Interpol” Feasible or Far-Fetched? Experts Weigh In
While Groothuizen’s call has sparked interest, industry voices are divided on its practicality.
Supporters argue that a global enforcement network is no longer futuristic—it’s necessary.
Some are of the stance, “Illegal operators don’t care about borders. Regulators shouldn’t be confined by them either.”
Supporters of Groothuizen’s idea believe a shared enforcement hub could dramatically accelerate action against rogue operators.
But critics warn that reality is more complicated.
Gambling laws vary wildly between jurisdictions; what is “illegal” in one country may be fully licensed in another. Everyone loves cooperation in theory. But what happens when a Dutch regulator, a UK regulator, and a Maltese regulator all define ‘illegal’ differently?
Despite the skepticism, experts generally agree that greater coordination is both possible and urgently needed, even if a single global agency is unlikely.
Shared blacklists, aligned standards for blocking payments, and real-time data exchange are all realistic steps, and may be the first phase of Groothuizen’s larger vision.
The bottom line? Maybe we won’t get a single global enforcement agency, like a ‘Gambling Interpol.’ But we absolutely can build a global enforcement and allegiance network.
