The latest KSA results reveal a significant trend: the more gambling is viewed as normal behavior in a social circle, the more it may become easier to begin and harder to doubt. According to the regulator, this trend is now reflected in the survey results gathered for its OpenOverGokken platform. The research was conducted among 1,000 participants in the Netherlands.
A quarter of respondents (24%) said that the people around them view gambling as normal behavior. The gender distribution is quite telling: men reported this attitude twice as often as women (32% vs 16%). KSA also found that 43% of respondents would be less likely to gamble if no one in their surroundings did the same.
Winning Narratives Stay Loud, Harm Signals Stay Quiet
The study also points out the way in which gambling is talked about. Participants reported that conversations usually focus on success and winning, although one in five (18%) people regularly hear gambling talked about as a quick way to make money. KSA notes that this is a form of harmful romanticization.
However, stigma is also present. Three-quarters of participants (75%) believe that problems with gambling are the result of poor choices. This is important because it can shift harm from a support frame to a moral frame.
This combination of normalization and moralization, as the survey suggests, makes it more difficult to intervene. Although 11% of participants said that gambling had impacted their work, studies, relationships, or sleep, 76% also reported that it is hard to recognize addiction in another person. KSA also points out that 29% would not feel brave enough to ask for help if they had gambling-related problems, and 34% would have difficulty confronting someone about their habits.
Why This Matters for the Industry
The message for operators, suppliers, and regulators is that visibility should be taken care of. If gambling becomes socially routine while harm remains socially taboo, the “spot the problem player” mentality may identify problems too late in the process. A recent KSA study indicates that the next level of player protection is not only about problem identification but also about public awareness, earlier conversations, and help that will be used.
