There are more athletes betting on the games they play in the Netherlands, although the number is still much lower than in other countries.
More athletes have been found to have bet on their own sports with operators in the Netherlands during 2025, although the number remains much lower than in other countries.
The development was presented by the Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA), which used new data to present this as a risk factor in the oversight of match-fixing.
The 2025 trend analysis report, prepared by the regulator’s Sports Betting Intelligence Unit, evaluates the prevalence of suspicious gambling activities in the Netherlands.
It included suspicious tips from licensed sportsbooks from 1 January through 31 December 2025, with nine licensed sportsbooks filing a total 12 reports of possible match-fixing during this time.
The operators filed alerts with the unit after detecting unusual activity on their betting platforms.
Football accounted for the largest share of alerts with six cases, followed by five related to tennis and one connected to combat sports. Three of these cases were from competitions taking place in the Netherlands.
One major change noted between 2024 and 2025 was that athletes began betting on competitions they were participating in professionally. Regulators detected four such bets in 2025, but this type of betting was not shown in last year’s report.
Each of these cases involved an athlete betting on their own match, league, or competitions they were a part of. Such activity is prohibited because athletes may possess insider knowledge or face conflicts of interest.
When the operators discovered those bets, they were either cancelled or accounts were closed.
Beyond direct athlete betting, regulators identified seven cases involving unusual wagering patterns.
These patterns included repeated high-value bets on a single event, sudden behaviour shifts by bettors, and large stakes placed on lower-profile competitions.
Ill-timed bets raise red flags
Some alerts also involved bets placed at unusual moments during live matches. Such timing can signal possible access to inside information about match developments.
Three of the unusual betting cases were linked to the same sporting event. Operators responded by cancelling wagers, limiting accounts, or removing certain betting markets from their platforms.
Regulators also recorded one alert concerning a potentially high-risk match. That report followed a signal from an international monitoring partnership, though the sportsbook’s internal investigation found no irregular activity among its customers.
Despite the increase in athletes betting on their own competitions, the overall number of alerts remained stable compared with the previous year. In 2024, regulators received 13 reports of potential match manipulation.
The number of operators submitting alerts also remained similar, with nine companies reporting incidents in 2025 compared with eight the previous year. However, four of the reporting operators were different from those involved in 2024.
The Dutch regulator has also issued updated integrity guidance for betting operators. The document outlines expectations for market design, risk analysis, and mandatory reporting of suspicious betting activity.
Sports organisations have simultaneously increased education efforts aimed at professional athletes. Such measures examine gambling risks and the rules that prevent athletes from betting on their work-related events.
KSA reported that authorities are still evaluating sportsbooks’ risk assessments and steps to ensure that betting markets remain safe and untainted.