Starting on October 1, the new online gambling market of the Netherlands will launch services. Ahead of this launch, Dutch regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has announced new guidance involving recruitment to sites and advertising. Operators are to follow the guidance to stay in compliance with the region’s online gambling regulations.
Answering Questions
The KSA released the new guidance after receiving questions involving advertising towards vulnerable groups of people as well as using teams or athletes to promote betting. The regulator thought it best to provide more details on these topics to ensure that license holders understand their obligations.
Online gaming providers are to avoid targeting minors via advertising. Each advertisement created by operators will be assessed based on content as well as where the ads are posted. What demographic are the ads directed towards? What about media presence? All of this relates to article 2 within the decree of recruitment, advertising, and addiction prevention within the regulations.
The regulator stated that article 4 of the decree states that under 25s that have a substantial reach within the younger audience must not be used for advertising. Professional athletes and teams are not to be highlighted in advertising. Already, warnings have been sent out in this regard. Staatsloterih, the state lottery, used professional football players in ads and this was not appropriate according to the KSA.
Long Time Coming
The new online gambling industry launch has been a long time coming for the Netherlands. The Remote Gambling Act took effect on April 1, and this was after it was delayed not once, but three different times. Applications were then taken for licensing and a total of 28 were received within just a few days of the Act going live.
Since that time, the KSA has worked on regulations for the new industry, including advertising standards. All operators have been told that advertising must be moderated to meet new standards before the industry launches in October.
Applicants for licensing were told to pay €48,000 ($57,700) in licensing fees and agree to add operations to the new Centraal Register Uitsluiting Kansspelen. This is a self-exclusion system being created in the country along with CBD remote monitoring database.
With this system, players will be able to self-exclude and avoid gambling harm if they feel addiction is taking hold. The regulator is very strict on this fact and wants to ensure that all players are protected no matter which operator they have chosen to provide iGaming services.