SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Novamedia BV, the operating company of the Netherlands Postcode Lottery, has confirmed that it will no longer participate in the Dutch KOA online gambling marketplace.
Via a statement on its website, Novamedia announced that it had chosen to relinquish its online gambling licence granted by Dutch gambling authority Kansspelautoriteit (KSA).
Novamedia Gaming BV independently made the decision to relinquish its license. In an official statement, Novamedia clarified that the increasingly stringent regulations have “made online gaming unsuitable for generating funds for our charitable causes.”
On 20 March, KSA removed Novamedia Gaming BV from the KOA market’s online gambling registry of licensed online gambling providers allowed in the Netherlands.
Inbound stricter regulations will primarily affect advertising and marketing, with a ban on untargeted campaigns for high-risk gambling scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2023. As such, the ban is expected to impede KOA licensees from advertising on television, radio, and outdoor spaces.
Despite relinquishing its online gambling license, Novamedia continues to operate Postcode Loterij Games but will no longer operate a live casino suite powered by Evolution Gaming.
Novamedia will maintain its lottery business, in which it will prioritise innovations of its retail product but “will not invest further in online gambling opportunities in the Netherlands for the time being.”
In wider related news, Novamedia’s brand Vriendenloterij (‘The Friends Lotto’) recently extended its contract with Dutch football club Ajax FC.
