KSA upgrades CRUKS with new ‘reflection period’ mode 

Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Gaming Authority of the Netherlands, has upgraded ‘CRUKS’ – Dutch gambling’s ‘Central Register for Self-Exclusion of Games of Chance’.

KOA market stakeholders were informed that upgrades have focused on “making it easier for players to set a temporary gambling stop, ” with an updated website (cruksregister.nl) providing a ‘reflection period’ for users who want to unsubscribe after their gambling stop. 

All Dutch licensed gambling operators must continue to ensure that their player databases are connected to CRUKS, which since its launch on 1 October 2021 has registered over 38,000 self-exclusion requests.

The CRUKS system will continue to apply a minimum six-month self-exclusion period on users across all licensed gambling services (online and land-based). 

Further changes have seen KSA apply the term “gambling stop”, which has replaced “play break” on CRUKS to imply “clearer implications of self-exclusion”. Players can unsubscribe after six months, with the new version adding an ‘eight-day reflection period’ to discourage impulsive unsubscriptions.

Last week, the Dutch government informed operators that it would proceed with implementing on “untargeted advertising” from 1 July.  Starting from this date, operators must comply with a more rigorous advertising policy, as marketing campaigns will be directly inspected by KSA. 

Restrictions will prohibit TV commercials and marketing in public spaces, such as through billiards and print media. Bookmakers will have slightly more flexibility regarding online and social media advertising. However, they must demonstrate that their promotional content is aimed at audiences aged 24 years and above.

Further H1 developments saw KSA Chairman René Jansen warn KOA operators that the regulator needed to see an “intensification in the supervision of duty-of-care”, with regards to improving customer interventions, staff training and how safety controls are applied.