The Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Netherlands’ gambling authority, will investigate a bunch of operators that might have breached the social responsibility requirements by allowing players to lose a lot of money.
The KSA Is Investigating a Number of Operators
During a speech at the Amsterdam Gambling & Awareness Congress 2022 event, René Jansen, chairman of the Dutch regulator, confirmed that the KSA is investigating several operators who reportedly did not take sufficient care of their players. Because of that, the KSA will probe their businesses to see if that truly is the case.
Currently, the Netherlands requires all players to set deposit limits. However, there is no cap, allowing players to pick a limit that allows them to wager as much as they want. Previously, the Kansspelautoriteit warned its licensees not to abuse this system, lest there be consequences.
Jensen said that the KSA believes that some operators have allowed players to lose tens of thousands of euros in a short period of time. He noted that in some such cases, operators did not take decisive action to dissuade the players from their compulsive spending. The chair reaffirmed that the KSA will investigate whether operators truly protect their customers.
A Survey on Problem Gambling Rates Must Be Conducted
Jensen also spoke about the overall number of gamblers and said that it has increased since the Dutch iGaming market opened a year ago. He noted that there are currently around 563,000 active player accounts. Jensen pointed out that this number may not adequately represent the total number of players because some have numerous accounts.
As for gambling harm rates, unfortunately, Jensen didn’t have any information as, according to him, there are still no reliable statistics. However, this will soon change as the National Alcohol and Drugs Information System will publish the number of people being treated for addiction in the near future.
While this figure would help to understand the impact online gambling has had on the Dutch market, the results might, once again, not be fully reliable because not all problem gamblers seek help, Jensen said. According to him, a large-scale survey might be needed to explore the full extent of iGaming’s effect on problem gambling rates.
A Boom in Gambling Ads
Another important thing Jensen talked about was gambling ads and the vast quantity of gambling content Dutch people are being bombarded with. He noted that the legalization of online gambling definitely impacted the number of ads broadcast to Dutch citizens. He said that everyone who watches TV or uses the internet should have seen them.
Jensen attributed this to the novelty of online gambling in the Netherlands and companies’ desire to channel customers toward their platforms. The chair concluded that the government would intervene if it determines that it needs to. The Netherlands has already banned gambling ads featuring celebrities and is set to soon ban untargeted ads as well.