In a bold move aimed at fostering a safer gambling environment for young individuals, the Dutch Gambling Authority (Kansspelautoriteit or KSA) announced today, 3 June, new regulations setting deposit limits for players aged 18 to 24. The introduction of these measures marks a significant step forward in the ongoing efforts to create a more responsible and secure gambling market in the Netherlands.
The Responsible Gaming Policy Rule, published in the Netherlands’ Official Gazette today, has come into effect immediately, although certain elements, including the newly established deposit limits, will be implemented beginning 1 October. This delay accounts for the necessary IT adjustments and the time operators need to hire new employees to oversee these changes.
Starting from 1 October, operators will be required to conduct thorough financial checks for any young person aged 18 to 24 depositing €300 or more to ensure that they can afford to gamble that amount. This policy is not exclusive to young players, as individuals over the age of 24 will also be subject to financial checks if they deposit €700 or more. Should the financial assessment reveal that a player cannot afford the amount they wish to deposit, operators must block any further deposits for that calendar month.
An important exception to this rule is in place for exceptional circumstances. For instance, a professional poker player needing to deposit a higher amount for participation in a tournament may be allowed to exceed the €300 limit. This exception ensures that legitimate professional gambling activities are not unduly hindered by the new regulations.
Beyond deposit limits, the amended Responsible Gaming Policy Rule requires operators to intensify their efforts in monitoring player behavior in real-time. Both land-based and online operators must now intervene within an hour of identifying potentially harmful gambling behavior, such as excessive participation in gambling activities. This real-time monitoring is to be maintained 24 hours a day to ensure continuous oversight.
For the purpose of this policy, signs of excessive participation include gambling for longer than six hours per day, which is defined by the KSA as an indicator of potential gambling harm. The aim of these stringent measures is to align the laws and regulations that cover the recruitment and advertising activities of license holders and the implementation of addiction prevention policies.
In a detailed publication, the KSA emphasized the importance of these new rules: “With this policy rule, the Gaming Authority aims to further flesh out the laws and regulations that apply to the recruitment and advertising activities of licence holders and to the addiction prevention policy and its implementation by licence holders, where applicable.
.”
The necessity of these changes was underscored by a study conducted by the KSA in September 2023, which reviewed how ten operators carried out their duty of care. As part of the study, KSA collected data on player monitoring, player behavior, and addiction prevention policies from these operators. The results revealed that operators were not consistently intervening with at-risk players in a timely manner, prompting the need for stricter regulations.
In response to these findings, coupled with recent amendments to gambling advertising rules and the role model ban, the KSA drafted amendments to its Responsible Gambling Policy Rule. Following a consultation round, which attracted 33 responses from operators, trade bodies, and addiction experts, the final amendments focused primarily on addiction prevention.
The adoption of these amendments signifies the latest move to tighten regulations within the Netherlands’ gambling market. Recently, the Dutch political landscape has seen several measures aimed at regulating gambling activities more stringently. In May, a coalition of four Dutch political parties proposed increasing the gambling tax from 30.5% to 37.8%. This proposal was followed by a vote in April, banning online gambling advertisements and categorizing “high risk” online gambling, such as slot machines.
Moreover, last month, research carried out by the Keurmerk Responsible Affiliates (KVA) highlighted troubling findings that illegal operators in the Netherlands were accepting bets from minors. This revelation led Peter-Paul de Goeij, the director of the Netherlands Online Gambling Association, to anticipate a “rigorous” response from the KSA.
Enforcing these increased safety measures, the KSA has been active in issuing fines to unlicensed operators offering games in the Netherlands. Notably, Sarah Eternal was fined €280,000 weekly for operating without a license, while Casbit received a warning for similar violations.
The latest policy shift by the KSA to introduce deposit limits and stricter monitoring measures is a critical development aimed at protecting young gamblers and ensuring the Netherlands’ gambling market remains safe and fair for all participants.
