SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Going back to last week’s Gaming in Holland event, we now look at what Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) had to say about the Dutch market.
The gambling regulator was represented on stage by Renske Fikkers, Head of the Regulatory Department, who has been in charge of regulatory duties since December last year.
Starting off on a high note, Fikkers shared her view that the KSA has reached a point where the distance between the regulator and the licensed market has significantly narrowed – and is continuing to do so through frequent communication.
However, attendees were also given a clear message that the Dutch market is at a turning point, particularly in terms of stricter regulations being implemented due to the changing political views on gambling.
“Where at first we looked at gambling as a game with possible negative consequences, we are more and more considering it a high risk product,” Fikkers said.
The shift in attitudes was made clear a couple of years ago, when then-Minister for Legal Protections, Franc Weerwind, concluded that the local market is in urgent need of player protection reforms.
This then kicked off a series of essential customer safety changes to the Remote Gambling Act (KOA) 2021, which first liberalised the Netherlands’ online gambling space.
Fikkers added: “This change of direction is partly driven by the idea that current policies do not currently protect people adequately.
“This simply means one thing: laws and regulations will become stricter and operators’ room for manoeuvre will be further restricted.”
Reforms are now in the hands of current Legal Protections Secretary, Teun Struycken, who has moved forward with plans such as raising the minimum age of players to 21 for high-risk gambling.
While this particular change is currently limited to slots/casino games in the official policy’s wording, it could potentially have wider reaching consequences given Fikkers’ earlier statement that the KSA is now collectively viewing gambling as a high-risk product.
Regardless, as the Netherlands is now heading towards new elections in October after the coalition cabinet’s fallout, all current KOA reforms spearheaded by Struycken are now put on ice until then.
Tightening the reins
Fikkers was also concise in saying that regulatory scrutiny from the KSA will continue to strengthen.
She was quick to point out that 2025 became the first time for the authority to issue a duty-of-care fine – and not a small one at that. The unnamed operator was issued a sanction of €734k for lacking “adequate interventions” where there were signs of problem gambling.
“That total lack of consideration for vulnerable players was at odds with the original approach of legalisation and for that reason the reins are now being tightened.”
Similarly, the KSA’s Head of Regulations warned that compliance with gambling promotion rules is being ignored “far too often”, and that this might lead to stricter regulations – with a total ban on advertising looking like “an increasingly realistic option”.
As a reminder, gambling sports sponsorships will be completely phased out in the Netherlands from July of this year.
Addressing problem gambling
A natural progression to the previous segment, Fikkers also revealed that the KSA is doubling down on its efforts to minimise problem gambling rates in the Netherlands.
This priority has been embodied in a new programme launched by the regulator that puts out awareness campaigns and draws attention to the country’s self-exclusion scheme and other support infrastructure.
Something new revealed at the event was that the KSA intends to turn this programme into an independent department as part of an internal restructuring to put more resources into its safer play strategy.
Fighting the black market
The Dutch industry is no stranger to the risks of the black market, with the issue being a main talking point at the Gaming in Holland conference.
Fikkers further reiterated that GGR-based channelisation rates in the regulated market are currently at just 50%.
However, there are already ongoing efforts to push back against offshore operators, with the KSA adding that even affiliates are joining the fight, taking down illegal advertisements and further increasing the knowledge of Dutch players about problem gambling.
The gambling authority has also expanded the scope of its actions, actively pursuing illegal advertisements throughout social media and mobile apps. In addition, Fikkers said that the KSA is also communicating with internet service providers and Dutch banks to further restrict access to unregulated platforms.
As a sign off, she cautioned operators that the new KSA licensing round will extensively look into operators’ previous behaviours, with those already licensed not being guaranteed market entry moving forward.
“Protecting players was the reason for building a licensed gambling market, so keep prioritising that very thing.”
