SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Dutch online gambling association NOGA has “taken a note of interest” to Legal Protections Minister Struycken’s plans for market reforms.
Launched in 2021, the Remote Gambling Act (KOA) that regulates the Dutch online gambling space has recently been the topic of political debate about its feasibility and need for player protection refinements.
It is expected that by the end of this year, Teun Struycken will produce a draft for a new gambling bill that will introduce stricter market controls.
These include raising the minimum age for ‘high-risk online games’ to 21, mandatory deposit limits by KOA licencees, a renewed duty of care framework, additional gambling advertising restrictions, a bigger focus on black market countermeasures, as well as greater oversight powers for the national regulator, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA).
Eric Konings, NOGA Director, commented: “The members of NOGA stand for a safe and responsible gambling offer. That is why we support the idea of no longer just putting addiction prevention at the centre of gambling policy, but striving to prevent gambling-related damage. Gambling should be a source of entertainment, not a source of problems.”
Konings added that NOGA is particularly welcoming of the anticipated measures against illegal operators, as the association had been expressing its concern about the size of the black market “for some time”.
“A number of the Cabinet’s policy intentions, such as raising the minimum age to 21, can further strengthen the flight towards the illegal market that is currently taking way. However, we are waiting for the further elaboration of this before we can give a detailed response to it.
The NOGA Director concluded: “We fully endorse the view of this Cabinet that the protection of citizens is a shared responsibility of all parties that may influence that protection. We will therefore continue to make an effort to achieve an attractive, safe and responsible gambling offer in cooperation with all those involved.”
