Carol Verheij has been appointed as a new member of the Board of Directors of the Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA), with her term set to begin on 1 March 2026.
The appointment was formally announced by the State Secretary for Justice and Security in the Government Gazette.
Verheij will succeed Bernadette van Buchem as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors.
From 2026, the KSA’a board structure will consist of three members: a full-time chair and two part-time directors. In her role as Vice-Chair, Verheij will deputise for the Chair when required and act as a key point of contact within the organisation and for external stakeholders.
She currently serves as Secretary-Director of the Dutch Safety Board and brings extensive experience from across the Dutch public sector. Previous roles include General Director of screening authority Justis and Acting General Director of the Child Protection Council, both operating under the Ministry of Justice and Security.
Verheij has also held senior management positions at several other ministries, including Economic Affairs, Finance, the Interior and Kingdom Relations, and Infrastructure and Water Management.
Commenting on the new appointment, KSA Chairman Michel Groothuizen Michel Groothuizen stated: “Carol is an experienced public administrator joining our Board of Directors. In addition to her role as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors, she will focus primarily on issues related to legal frameworks, governance, integrity and compliance – topics that are rapidly evolving within the Netherlands Gambling Authority's dynamic field.
“With her appointment, the Netherlands Gambling Authority is further developing a future-proof organisational structure that optimally supports its ambitions and strategy."
Verheij herself added: “I'm incredibly excited to dedicate my energy, knowledge, and experience to the Netherlands Gambling Authority. The Netherlands Gambling Authority has an important societal responsibility: ensuring that people, especially young people, can gamble safely. Online gambling, which is inherently cross-border, has added an unprecedented dimension to this challenge.
“Together with my colleagues at the Netherlands Gambling Authority and all other partners, I will make a positive impact on the reliability and security of the gambling market.”
The appointment comes during an active period for KSA. In recent weeks, the regulator has intensified cooperation with sports associations to enforce restrictions on gambling sponsorship and advertising, particularly in the context of international fixtures.
The authority has also intervened after finding that licensed operators One Casino and bet365 had offered betting markets on matches involving under-21 players, in breach of the Gambling Act.
KSA’s mandate includes protecting players from harm and ensuring a transparent gambling market – responsibilities that have grown significantly in scope since the introduction of regulated online gambling in the Netherlands in 2021
