SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The Dutch gambling regulator, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has issued an official reprimand to BetMGM over an ad featuring 17-year old footballer Lamine Yamal.
The ad picturing the FC Barcelona winger violated Dutch advertising laws which prevent betting firms from using images of or partnering with individuals seen as having a lot of influence over younger demographics.
The use of football players in marketing is a particular area of focus for the regulator, and the fact that Yamal is under the official gambling age of 18 in the Netherlands has likely brought more attention to the matter.
However, the KSA stated that it has only opted for a warning, as BetMGM addressed the matter quickly. The ad, and its breach of Dutch advertising laws, was first noted by a BetMGM affiliated media company, which reported the issue to the operator.
“The KSA has dealt with the violation with a warning, because BetMGM quickly ended the violation and took adequate measures to prevent recurrence,” the regulator’s statement read.
Regardless, the KSA did highlight one critical shortfall from BetMGM, which was not reporting the violation to the regulator once it was discovered. This is a requirement under Dutch gaming rules.
“The provider did not report it, but should have: licensees are required to inform the KSA of errors on their part that could pose a danger to consumers,” the statement continued.
Dutch authorities monitoring betting closely
The Dutch online betting market has grown exponentially since it was re-regulated under the KOA Act in October 2021, with over 30 companies now holding a licence in the country, up from 10 when the market was first launched.
In BetMGM’s case, the brand launched in the Netherlands in 2024, its second European endeavour after entering the UK. The brand is operated by LeoVegas, which is in turn owned by MGM Resorts.
There is also the US counterpart of BetMGM, which does not follow the same ownership structure, as it is a joint venture between MGM and UK-based Entain.
This substantial growth enjoyed by the Dutch betting space has come with, as expected, considerable advertising activity, particularly across television, the internet, and via sports sponsorships. This led to the adoption of the role models rule in June 2022, and from 1 July 2025 all sports sponsorships will be banned.
Amid a plethora of other reforms being tested and implemented, such as finance risk checks, the government states that it will follow the implementation of the sponsorship ban closely.
Both betting firms and clubs have been warned by the KSA and Minister Teun Struycken that the ban will be rigorously enforced – having taken note of some clubs and operators in neighbouring Belgium finding ways to circumvent a similar ban in that country.
