The councillor’s call joins a familiar argument in the Netherlands which has included raising the age to 21 for online slots.
A growing debt crisis among young people in Enschede, Netherlands has prompted local politician Meryam Sümer of the CDA (Christian Democratic Party) to call for national action to raise the minimum legal age for online gambling from 18 to 24.
She also called for tighter restrictions on buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) products and gambling advertising, according to local reporting in AD on Monday.
Youth debt and advertisements
According to recent municipal data cited by councillor and welfare worker Sümer, one in five young individuals in Enschede is currently in debt.
In 2025, the city recorded…