Gambling in the Netherlands: Developments, participation, and compulsive gambling.

An inventory was made of the developments in what the gambling market had to offer and the extent of public participation in games of chance in The Netherlands for the period 1945-1988. Both these aspects show a sharp rise in the post-war years, but the more negative effects of gambling are also becoming clearer. Since the beginning of the 1980's, assistance organizations have received increasing requests for help and advice on gambling problems. Roughly half of those seeking help are younger than 25 years, presenting the compulsive use of slot-machines as their main problem.