The number of people in treatment for gambling addiction is increasing again

The number of people who are undergoing treatment for a gambling addiction has risen again after years of decline. This was reported by the Stichting Informatievoorziening Zorg (IVZ), the Healthcare Information Provision Foundation in English, in a report about addiction care. Almost 2,500 people were treated for a gambling addiction in 2023, which is a rise of around 24 percent compared to 2022.

Although more institutions provided data than in the past, according to the IVZ, the increase was not due to that. "This reversal in the trend is also visible in the group of institutions that have provided figures for years," the organization reported. The increase is 15 percent at the centers that consistently provide data to the foundation.

The IVZ claims that the registration of where people have gambled has been inadequate. Among the people for whom this is known, an increase can mainly be seen in online gambling. Most of the people treated were men (88 percent), and 17 percent of the people treated were younger than 25 years old.

Of those who entered a gambling addiction treatment program last year, roughly 46 percent were receiving organized care for the first time. That was a higher rate than any other form of addiction, according to the IVZ.

In 2023, there were 65,000 people in addiction care, 4,000 more than in 2022, which is partly explained by the increase in institutions providing data.

Alcohol is still by a distance the most treated addiction, with a share of 45 percent, followed by cannabis (15 percent), opiates, and cocaine, with 12 percent each. The IVZ has also noticed that more people are coming in to get help for their addictions to the drugs Ketamine and 3-MMC.