Weerwind legacy cemented as KOA reforms prove successful

Limits on Dutch player losses introduced in 2024 have shown positive results, the regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) reported.

First mandated by former Legal Protections Minister Franc Weerwind, the list of reforms of the online Dutch market are still being rolled out by his successor Teun Streuycken.

Some, however, were voted by and implemented by the House of Representatives before Weerwind’s departure, such as monthly player loss limits of €150 for people between the ages of 18 and 23, and €350 for everyone aged 24 and over.

Success is in the numbers

Players can essentially request these limits to be increased but only by engaging in a conversation with the relevant KOA-licensed operator, which is then required to explain in detail the dangers that an increase could lead to.

Now, according to the KSA, these conversations have proven influential for players, with those setting high deposit limits currently less than 50% from the total Dutch customer base on the legal market.

Moreover, it seems that the rigorous financial checks again introduced by Weerwind have also proven effective. Under the new rules, anyone aged between 18 and 24 who deposits more than €300, and €700 if they’re above 24, is subjected to an affordability review by the operator.

If the player fails to pass the check, the operator then blocks all deposits to their account for the entirety of that month. The KSA reported that these measures have led to the overall number of players going over these limits dropping from 9.7% to 2.2%. For young adults (18-24), these rates have fallen from the previous 12% to 1.9%.

Additionally, as a result of the above rules, average player losses have also dropped – from €116 per month in the eight months prior to the limits’ introduction, to €80 per month in the eight months after, down 31%.

Is the black market really affected?

Another interesting statement from the KSA revealed that the legal market player channelisation rates remain significantly high at 93%, according to its estimates. Some market stakeholders have voiced concerns about the KSA’s methodology around channelisation, however.

At the Gaming in Holland event last month, Arjan Blok, CEO of the Nederlandse Loterij, stated that the black market is more prevalent than what it is currently believed, and that he is working with the KSA on a new channelisation calculation that will be revealed in the regulator’s market monitoring report later this year.

Regardless, the KSA is in no way being passive when it comes to curbing the black market, especially when tackling illegal advertisements.

Just days ago, a Dutch influencer found themselves the subject of the first case of the regulator reprimanding an individual over the promotion of illegal gambling to their social media following.

A KSA investigation revealed that the person had been posting videos on his YouTube channel of him gambling with illegal operators. The influencer has now been warned by the regulator, asked to remove all existing content and abstain from uploading similar adverts in the future.

If the request is not fulfilled within 48 hours after the warning has been issued, the KSA will impose a €25,000 penalty per violation on the individual, up to a maximum of €75,000. These rules are now in full effect for every influencer in the Netherlands.

The success of Weerwind’s reforms will serve as a ray of light for the Dutch market amid a political turmoil that brought a lot of uncertainty to the gambling sector at least until the next elections in October.