There have been calls for changes to the online gambling industry in the Dutch online gambling industry. The Dutch Gaming Authority (Kansspelautoriteit – Ksa), has updated its policy regarding Responsible Gaming Policy Rules. This comes after a report published by Ksa in September 2023 that investigated the interpretation of the duty of care that gaming providers in the Netherlands have in place for their customers. This comes just a few short years after the opening up of the iGaming landscape in the country, with the legalisation of online gambling in 2021.
What is the Ksa?
Ksa is the governing body in the Netherlands for all types of gambling. This includes land-based casinos and remote gambling platforms. It is a completely independent body, taking care of administrative duties that ensure the regulations for safe, legal, fair, and responsible gaming are followed by the gaming providers.
The primary objectives of the Ksa are to protect consumers who are using gambling platforms, and to prevent gambling addiction. They are in place to combat any illegality and criminality in the industry. Ksa has statutory duties that include the regulation of the gaming market, supervision of the gaming market, provision of education and information, and a promotion of addiction prevention measures.
Ksa issues licences to legal providers of games of chance. It is illegal in the Netherlands to offer these types of games if you do not have a licence that has been issued by Ksa for an online casino platform. This includes online casino games, online bookmakers, online bingo, online lotteries, online slots, and live casino.
What is the new policy proposal from Ksa?
The proposed new policy from Ksa is based on a survey that was conducted within the industry. This highlighted that providers of online gaming and gambling are not fast enough to act in the face of potential gambling addiction, which means that many are failing to fulfil their duty of care.
The new proposals include:
- Providers must monitor online gambling efficiently and have employees and systems in place that can effectively recognise problematic gambling and signs of addictive gambling within an hour.
- Any player that deposits a greater amount than 700 Euro in one month period, must be contacted by the provider to show proof of earnings before they are permitted to deposit any more money into their account. Additionally, any player between the ages of 18 and 24 will be asked for proof of earnings for anything over 300 Euro.
- The updated policy rules propose tighter legislation for the industry, with a greater scope for guidance and restrictions to combat gambling addiction. If these proposals are approved in February 2024, new rules will be published in April 2024.
The change in Dutch gambling laws in 2021
The big changes in online gambling in the Netherlands came at the end of 2021. This is when both domestic and foreign providers could legally organise remote games of chance in the Netherlands, opening up the market to online casinos. Providers like Play North must adhere to the KOA (Remote Gambling Law), which consists of the following games:
- Poker
- Slot machines
- Bingo
- Live casino games, like blackjack, baccarat, or roulette
- Sports betting
- Online lotteries
This has had a drastic impact on the landscape of iGaming in the Netherlands, and the popularity has been on a steady increase since 2021. There have been calls in some quarters for tighter regulations due to the problem of gambling addiction, and this is where the Ksa report comes into play.
Proposed change of rules from Dutch government
Franc Weerwind, the Dutch Minister for Legal Protection, has also outlined changes to rules for online gambling, with a view to the changes coming into play later in the year (2024). The proposals include a ‘personal moment of contact’ if players were looking to raise their monthly limit to over 350 Euro. This would be a lower amount of 150 Euro for those ages under 24. Players would be allowed to set a limit, with no hard limit on how much they spend for now, but the options would require a change in legislation. The other thing to consider is that any web page where players can set their limits must be as ‘boring’ as possible, just a plain page with no pictures of cash and other signs of wealth. As much should be done to prevent players from being enticed by potential big winnings as possible, as this is where potential gambling addiction could be a problem. Another proposal is that players should be logged out automatically if they exceed the set limits for playing time.
There are some incredible online casinos in the Netherlands, and some have responsible gambling at the core of what they offer. This is the ideal for the entire industry in the future, ensuring that customers are looked after well, and that strict regulations and processes are put in place in all online casinos and online gambling platforms to help prevent addiction.
