Gambling News | 27 Feb 2024

The supervisory agenda for 2024 is unveiled by the Dutch regulator KSA.

 The Dutch gambling regulator, the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has laid out its supervisory plan for 2024, with a focus on four key areas.
 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Netherlands
 In an effort to fulfil its mandate of "safe gaming," the KSA has announced that it will step up its efforts to safeguard vulnerable players in the Netherlands by prioritising the prevention of addiction.  In 2023, the government implemented policies to achieve this goal, one of which was a ban on the majority of advertisements.

 With the goal of having 90% of gamers in the Netherlands wager with legal providers, the KSA is also seeking to battle illegitimate online offers.  Yield Sec CEO Ismail Vali wrote an essay for iGB in December pointing out that the KSA's present strategy doesn't seem to be working in terms of enforcement.

 The Saudi government has promised to back its partners, including law enforcement and tax officials, in their physical domain investigations.  There would hopefully be less "undermining" between different companies as a result, according to the regulator.

 Last but not least, the KSA is hell-bent on ensuring data provision compliance.  Data must be submitted in a "timely, complete and correct manner" according to the KSA.  Consequently, the KSA will have an easier time quickly detecting any possible misconduct.

 The issue of compulsive gambling is receiving more attention in the Netherlands (KSA).
 In 2023, the Netherlands implemented a nearly complete ban on advertisements.
 Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party member Derk Boswijk introduced a resolution earlier this month to outlaw all forms of gambling promotion in the Netherlands.  Despite the failure of the initiative to expand the ban on untargeted advertising beyond 2023, the growing concern over gambling damages in the Netherlands is evident in its proposal.

 Franc Weerwind, the minister for legal protection in the Netherlands, unveiled measures in December that he believed would safeguard gamers from developing a gambling habit.

 Providers were compelled to notify players who had established a deposit restriction of €350 (£303/$386) as part of Weerwind's efforts.  It is the responsibility of the operators to warn these players about the dangers of playing with such large sums.

 To refresh the Responsible Gaming Policy Rules, the KSA held consultations that concluded in early February.  The target date for the new regulations' publication is April.

 Additionally, Weerwind launched a multi-year digital resilience effort in October to fight online gaming fraud.

 However, the industry has pushed back against Weerwind's suggestions.  Weerwind was cautioned by Peter-Paul de Goeij, chairman of the Dutch Online Gambling Association (NOGA), that his proposals may discredit gambling.

 Two points raised by Helma Lodders, chairman of the Licensed Dutch Online Gaming Providers (VNLOK), warrant further investigation in Weerwind's letter.

 "First, that enforced regulations do a good job of reducing the number of problematic actors," Lodders said.

 And secondly, that most gamers who play responsibly still find the legal offer appealing enough.  The second is critical in ensuring they don't go back to the illicit market.