The ban came into effect on July 1 and prohibits all gambling sponsorship in sports, including shirt sponsors, advertising in public places, and any promotional materials. 

A statement on the KSA website noted: “After the ban took effect on July 1st, virtually all public displays disappeared.”

In July 2023, the government approved a ban on gambling advertising in sports, giving organizations a two-year transition period to end existing contracts.

KSA Ready to Clamp Down on Offenders

Some minor violations of the new rules were observed, such as the sale of merchandise with gambling company logos in club shops. 

Violators were sent warning letters, and if there are repeat occurrences, the KSA stated it may issue fines. 

KSA Chairman Michel Groothuizen commented that the regulator will take a strong stance against any violators of new regulations around gambling sponsorship. 

He stated, “In other countries with similar bans, we’ve seen operators attempt to creatively circumvent the law. That will not be tolerated in the Netherlands.” 

The regulator issued a fine to BetMGM last month over using FC Barcelona star Lamine Yamal in its promotional materials. 

The 17-year-old is under the legal gambling age of 18 in the Netherlands, and rules prohibit companies from using any role models that could be seen to appeal to minors. 

Groothuizen emphasized that the new regulations are aimed at protecting young people, among others, commenting, “This legislation was enacted to protect young adults and other vulnerable groups by preventing their exposure to gambling advertisements, regardless of the source. We will be vigilant in upholding that protection.”

Tax Increase Driving Out Operators

In addition to the ban on gambling advertising in sports, the Netherlands has also raised taxes on gambling companies. 

This year, the Dutch government’s Ministry of Finance increased the tax on gambling from 30.5% to 34.2% and it will be raised again to 37.8% in 2026.

In response to the increases, LiveScore Bet withdrew operations in the country. CEO Sam Sadi commented, “Unfortunately, the planned tax increase means that this market is no longer viable commercially.”

The government projects the tax increase will generate over €200 million ($233 million) annually from 2026 onwards. 

However, critics argue it could lead to more companies following LiveScore Bet and withdrawing from the market. 

Ban On Sports Sponsorships: The Negative Impact

The stricter rules around advertising in sports could also greatly hinder betting companies and impact sports teams’ revenues. 

Betting companies frequently rely on promoting their brands through front-of-shirt sponsors on sports teams, such as soccer clubs. 

In total, 33 out of 34 professional soccer clubs in the Netherlands had at least some form of gambling sponsorship in the previous two years. 

Eredivisie CV, the organization that represents the interests of the clubs at the highest level in the Netherlands, estimated that clubs will lose an average of 40 million euros ($41.1 million) directly. 

In addition, approximately 30 million euros ($30.8 million) will be lost indirectly due to the limitations on gambling advertising with media partners.  

In response to the change, the Eredivisie, the Netherlands’ top soccer league, has partnered with the state lottery, which is exempt from the ban on gambling sponsors. 

Other Countries Banning Betting Sponsors

Other countries have made similar moves to limit gambling sponsorship in sports. 

The Premier League in England voted in favor of a ban on front-of-shirt sponsors by betting platforms, which will come into force from the 2026-2027 season. 

Additionally, soccer clubs in Brazil have opposed plans to implement a ban on betting sponsorship, citing the grave financial consequences it would have on the teams. 

The clubs also referenced similar moves in Spain and Italy that have harmed the leagues. The Italian Senate is working on lifting the ban in the country.

Meanwhile, a Supreme Court ruling in Spain last year also reversed some restrictions about gambling promotions, although a ban on sports clubs being sponsored by betting companies is still in place. 

The KSA’s statement shows the regulator is optimistic that its ban is having a positive impact. 

Still, the financial impact on sports teams may have implications for future economic stability in Dutch soccer. 

The post Netherlands Gambling Sponsorship Ban Going Smoothly, Reports Gambling Regulator appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The regulator initially discovered and confiscated two betting terminals that ran illegal gambling software in November 2024. 

Upon a follow-up inspection, inspectors found another terminal with the same prohibited software. As a result, KSA fined the business owner €10,000 ($13,000) per violation, totaling €20,000 ($26,000).

The illegal betting terminals enable users to bet on sports event outcomes online through unauthorized software. These machines are prohibited in the Netherlands and pose specific consumer risks. There is no supervision of fair play, addiction prevention, or restriction on access by minors.

Additionally, there are no means of auditing the illicit software, meaning the machines could be rigged. Furthermore, the providers of these machines do not pay taxes.

Helmond Caterer The Latest to Face KSA Enforcement Action

Sanctions imposed on the Helmond caterer are the latest example of KSA taking strict enforcement action. The action follows a series of penalties imposed on both licensed and unlicensed operators for breaching Dutch gambling laws.

Last month, the regulator fined an unnamed licensed operator €734,000 ($833,248) for failing to protect young adults from excessive gambling and gambling-related harms.

In 2023, KSA fined two other licensed operators. In November, Entain-owned BetEnt received a €3 million ($3.4 million) fine for violations of the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Prevention) Act. 

Meanwhile, in March, Merkur Casino Almere received a fine of €45,000 ($51,000) for giving access to a self-excluded individual.

KSA has also targeted offshore operators that it has deemed to be operating illegally within the Netherlands. In April, it fined British Virgin Islands-registered operator Techno Offshore €1.2 million ($1.4 million).

Furthermore, in 2023, the KSA determined that the Malta-based operator Videoslots had allowed access to Dutch consumers. According to the regulator, Videoslots even displayed KSA’s badge, leading consumers to believe it was legal in the Netherlands.

As a result, it issued a substantial fine of €9.9 million ($11.2 million). However, after an appeal by Videoslots stating it had not done anything wrong, KSA reduced the fine to €975,000 ($1.1 million). 

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The KSA noted that the policy provides “more guidelines for imposing fines” and “more clarity to gambling providers and other parties” under the authority’s supervision. 

Published in the Government Gazette of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the policy will apply to all violations that the KSA supervises, covering specific violations determined by the country’s Remote Gambling Act and its Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Prevention) Act (Wwft).

The new fine policy is split into five categories, each category with a basic fine amount. 

Category one fine range is €0 to €500 with a basic fine of €500; category two fine range is €0 to €10,000 with a basic fine of €10,000; category three fine range is €0 to €200,000 with a basic fine of €100,000; category four fine range is €0 to €1m with a basic fine of €500,000; and category five fine range is €0 to €4m with a basic fine of €2m.

The KSA noted that fines in category five will only be imposed for Wwft violations. For non-Wwft violations in the highest category of category four, the authority has the option to further impose a turnover-related fine of 3% of the offender’s gross turnover to increase the fine’s effectiveness.

Offering transparency surrounding how fine categories are determined, the authority has provided a step-by-step breakdown of its violation evaluation process: 

• Step 1: Basic amount – determines the applicable basic amount for fine
• Step 2: Recidivism – doubling the basic amount if the licence holder has committed the violation previously.
• Step 3: Seriousness – examining the magnitude and duration of the violation, if the licence holder has previously violated the standard without an administrative sanction being imposed, negative consequences on customers, negative social consequences and possible integrity risks, reducing or increasing the fine if necessary by up to 50%.
• Step 4: Blame – evaluate the licence holder’s culpability, reducing or increasing the fine if necessary by up to 50%.
• Step 5: Scope of Offender – Use the licence holder’s gross turnover to determine the fine amount. For entities within corporate groups, consolidated turnover may also be considered.
• Step 6: Special circumstances – Licence holders can present special circumstances which may reduce fines by up to 25%. Examples include voluntary reporting, full independent investigations, rectifying action taken and implementing effective measures to end the violation.
• Step 7: Accumulation of fines – taking into account related violations if necessary to ensure fines imposed are appropriate.
• Step 8: Benefits Acquired – if the benefit obtained is higher than the fine amount, the fine will be increased to at least the amount of that benefit obtained.
• Step 9: Financial capacity – If necessary, the financial capacity of the licence holder will be taken into account.

The Government Gazette reads: “For determining a fine for a violation of a provision classified in category I or II, only steps 1, 6 and 9 of the step-by-step plan apply. For determining a fine for a violation of a provision of the Wwft classified in category II, step 2 also applies.”

Michel Groothuizen, Chair of the board at the KSA, stated: “The KSA is becoming increasingly professional as an organisation. After the opening of the online market in 2021, we were given a new category of license holders. In 2022, we imposed a first fine on a license holder. 

“We have now gained enough experience to arrive at a well-considered fine policy for both license holders and other parties. This creates clarity for the parties under our supervision and hopefully motivates them even more to avoid fines.”

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The “pack your life again, take a gambling stop’ initiative is a continuation of KSA’s pilot self-exclusion marketing of the national CRUKS register from last year.

The primary target group of the new campaign is young adults who may be experiencing problem gambling behaviour. Therefore, the marketing efforts behind the awareness initiative are all largely focused on social media rather than traditional media outlets.

Across the online videos, social ads and posts, a number of young people can be seen interacting with others in various social situations, implicating the importance of interpersonal relationships and how losing control over gambling can harm them. 

Operated by the KSA, CRUKS was launched back in 2021 as part of the Dutch government’s mandate of the Remote Gambling Act (KOA) to regulate the online gambling market.

Under the rule book, all online gambling providers are by law to ensure that new players are not listed on the CRUKS registry before onboarding them onto their systems.

The KOA is currently subject to reforms, with a recent evaluation of the regulatory framework by the Research Agency for Justice and Security finding policy shortcomings when it comes to establishing a responsible gambling environment. 

Reforms are spearheaded by the Dutch Secretary of State for Legal Protections, Teun Struycken, who remains committed to ironing out potential discrepancies in the license holders’ duty of care even at the turn of the new year.

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Through the partnership, the public in the Netherlands can gain access to a free one-year subscription with Gamban by contacting Loket Kansspel, the country’s national support service, via the website, WhatsApp, email or over the phone. The app is also available in Dutch.

Gamban is also supporting the KSA in its work in detecting unregulated websites as part of its efforts to combat illegal gambling.

“At Loket Kansspel, we believe that taking control of your online environment is crucial for breaking free from gambling addiction,” commented Nathalie Smit, Director at Loket Kansspel.

“By partnering with Gamban, we’re empowering individuals to stay in control and manage their gambling behaviour. We are excited to provide people with free access to gambling blocking software.”

Matt Zarb-Cousin, Co-Founder of Gamban, stated: “Having a self-exclusion scheme in place can lead to the unintended consequence of leaving the most vulnerable individuals exposed to black market operators.

“Layering up blocking software with self-exclusion ensures that devices are unable to access gambling sites and apps, whether regulated or unregulated.” 

The partnership in the Netherlands follows similar agreements in place in Norway and Finland with the operators Norsk Tipping and Veikkaus respectively. Gamban is also available for free on TimeOutOhio, the self-exclusion platform in the US state of Ohio.

Thomas Borghols, Addiction Prevention Fund Adviser at KSA, said: “At present, KSA offers players struggling with their gambling behaviour the option to self-exclude through Cruks. However, Cruks pertains only to operators holding a licence in the Netherlands. Gamban gives players the opportunity to also block access to illegal gambling websites. 

“When used together, Cruks and Gamban provide players a perspective on recovery. Teaming up with Loket Kansspel for the distribution of Gamban subscriptions was a logical choice for us, given that they are the first point of contact for players looking for an independent, judgement-free talk about the gambling issues facing them.”

Zarb-Cousin added: “We always recommend using other barriers in addition to gambling-blocking software, such as self-exclusion. The friction these offer give the individual a chance to think between urge and action. During this time, they can ride out their urge or think again before acting on temptation. 

“In a world where the lure of immediate gratification through digital activity is increasingly tempting, we want to help people regain control and balance – and by using Gamban, they can do that.”

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In a statement on its website, the KSA noted that Blue High House had previously been given a penalty payment order for the illegal offer.

The authority stated that following an investigation, it found that Dutch players could participate in online gambling on Blue High House’s betonline.ag website and that no measures had been taken to stop players from the Netherlands from playing.

Also, the KSA said that it found other failures by Blue High House, resulting in a larger fine beyond its basic fine of €600,000.

These included offering prohibited games, unauthorised payment methods and autoplay, in addition to a lack of playing limits and age verification, as well as allowing players to earn playing credits for registering their friends to the illegal offering.

Michel Groothuizen, Chair of the KSA, stated: “The Netherlands has a legal market to ensure that people who want to gamble can do so safely. With illegal providers, such as in this case Blue High House, we often see that risky gaming behaviour is not taken into account in any way. 

“For example, players can create an account on this website without having to verify their age, which means that minors can also play. We also saw things like autoplay and turboplay, which can encourage excessive gaming, and there were no gaming limits. The KSA takes tough action against these types of illegal websites.”

According to the KSA, the offering on the website has now been stopped.

However, the authority will continue to monitor Blue High House closely to make sure that it doesn’t have any other illegal offerings in the Dutch market via other channels. New sanctions could follow if such an offering is found.

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Lucky 7 will be powered by Finnplay, becoming the fifth brand to go live with the platform’s technology in the Dutch igaming market.

“We are thrilled to have achieved this important milestone, and we now look forward to a very successful brand launch soon,” commented Frank Loffeld, COO of Lucky 7.

“Finnplay’s team was instrumental in helping us navigate the complex application process, and we’re pleased to have their continued support as we launch Lucky 7 to the market.”

Jaakko Soininen, Managing Director of Finnplay, added: “Our team is proud to have helped Lucky 7 get over the line in their Dutch licence application, keeping our perfect record of Dutch compliance intact.

“We are eager to help them officially launch the brand now and turn it into a very successful business in the Netherlands.”

Entering the Netherlands, Starcasino also operates websites in Belgium and Spain.

“Today we received good news: Green Island has officially received the license from the Gaming Authority for our Starcasino brand,” noted Kylian Olierook, Country Director Netherlands at Starcasino, via CasinoNieuws.

“We have already gained quite some experience with licenses in Spain and Belgium, so we are ready to become successful in the Netherlands as well. With our own in-house platform we can offer players in the Netherlands something unique and above all responsible. 

“When are we going live? Of course, we want to do that as soon as possible, but we also want to set everything up properly. So, stay tuned.”

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Regarding channelisation, KSA’s report revealed that it is currently expecting legal operators to see 87% of total BSR in 2024, while 95% of players are also only playing with licensed operators.

However, these channelisation figures have caused concern from the trade associations Vergunde Nederlandse Online Kansspelaanbieders (VNLOK – Licensed Dutch Online Gambling Providers) and Nederlandse Online Gambling Associatie (NOGA – Dutch Online Gambling Association).

Online BSR for the Dutch market has risen in H1 2024 to €752m (H2 2023: €696m). KSA attributed this increase to the number of bets placed during the Euro 2024 football championships, and “therefore not necessarily an indicator of the total growth in 2024”.

The authority added that online casino games had the largest share of the total online BSR for the first half of the year, accounting for a 72% share.

KSA noted that the number of player accounts has also risen in the past six months, growing from one million per month at the end of last year to 1.07 million per month at the end of the first six months of 2024. 

Since players can have more than one account across several operators, the number of players is lower, but it has still grown in the past half year.

Data from research agency GfK in the report stated that this figure is approximately 455,000 players per month in H1 2024 (H2 2023: 452,000 players per month). GfK data also said that 95% of players are only playing with licensed operators.

According to the authority, online players lost an average of €946 over a period of six months, or €158 per month. Young adults (18 to 23 year olds) accounted for 10.8% of BSR during H1 2024 (H2 2023: 9.6%) with 23% of accounts used belonging to young adults, losing on average €55 per month.

Channelisation concerns

In terms of channelisation, data suppliers H2 Gambling Capital has estimated in the report that 87% of total revenue will be with legal operators in 2024, but the forecast takes into account gambling tax remaining the same as it is now. 

However, in response to the authority’s report, the trade associations VNLOK and NOGA have expressed concern over these figures.

NOGA and VNLOK believe that while channelisation has decreased slightly (2023: 88% BSR with legal operators), but the pool of players playing on illegal websites has fallen (2023: 90% of players gambling only with legal operators), these players are spending more money on their gambling.

The two groups therefore think that players who spend more on their gambling are switching to unregulated and illegal offerings.

Both organisations have called for the continued monitoring of illegal market developments, but also to improve current monitoring since the KSA stated that current monitoring only takes into account providers who are also licensed elsewhere in the world, whereas providers with no licences are not included. As a result, channelling in terms of BSR could be lower than estimated.

Helma Lodders, Chair of VNLOK, and Eric Konings, Acting Director of NOGA, said: “It is encouraging that many people who want to play are able to find a legal provider. At the same time, it is worrying that players who opt for the illegal offer spend more money there.

“This raises the question of whether we are sufficiently successful in properly protecting the most vulnerable groups of players, such as minors, young adults or problem gamblers. We know that illegal gambling sites are particularly attractive to these groups. And recent research has shown that minors can play with illegal providers without many problems. 

“These groups are now in danger of disappearing from statistics, while they deserve extra protection.”

Loket Kansspel awareness

Within its report, KSA highlighted that while there are “no hard figures on the total number of people with a gambling addiction in the Netherlands”, 2,456 people were treated for gambling addiction in 2023, 28% more than 1,920 people reported in 2022.

In response, VNLOK and NOGA are calling for an increase in awareness of Loket Kansspel – a support centre for people with gambling problems – via targeted awareness campaigns. VNLOK added that its members are open to discussions with the KSA on how it can help increase Loket Kansspel awareness.

Lodders and Konings said: “The latest figures from the Ksa show that the number of help and information calls has decreased. This is positive if it means that fewer players experience problems due to participation in online gambling. This is negative if it means that players do not know where to find Loket Kansspel. 

“For example, research by IPSOS shows that 79% of players have never heard of the Loket Kansspel. Only 1% have ever had contact with Loket Kansspel.”

VNLOK and NOGA also spotlighted how registrations to the Dutch Central Register for the Exclusion of Games of Chance – Cruks – has increased to 75,334 in June 2024, but noted that there is still “room for improvement”.

Their statement read: “Providers would like to talk to players who have been registered in Cruks and want to participate in online gambling again. 

“In this way, a provider can first assess whether everything is going well again or whether additional restrictions are necessary. In addition, the process of involuntary registration is still too long. This sometimes takes several months. This must be faster. 

“Finally, a relatively large number of involuntary registrations are still rejected. Of the 206 registrations that providers made, 77 were approved. A number of players may have registered voluntarily, but that still leaves a relatively large number of rejections. It is important to further investigate why these applications are rejected.”

KSA has also published its annual Market Scan of the Dutch gambling market, reporting that the online market continued to grow in line with expectations in 2023, while the land-based sector has almost returned to 2019 levels.

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GGZ Ecademy’s webinar is being funded by the Addiction Prevention Fund (VPF) and is in collaboration with Verslavingskunde Nederland (Addiction Studies Netherlands), the Trimbos Institute and the addiction agency Jellinek.

When the Dutch market opened up for online gambling, a digital training offer was developed by Jellinek at the request of the Ministry of Justice and Security. 

The training was designed to inform professionals – such as doctors, POH GGZ, psychologists and debt counsellors – about addiction problems in online gambling so they could identify gambling addiction better and earlier. 

The training has since been further developed with the e-learning module Gambling Problems updated to include case studies on young adults and gambling, making gambling a topic of discussion in general practice and debt counselling, as well as how to discuss gambling with someone with a mild intellectual disability.

Taking place on 26 September, the webinar will discuss gambling trends and current affairs, with Anouk Tuijnman, a Scientific Researcher from the Trimbos Institute, explaining the latest figures and trends in prevention and policy. Attention will also be given to risk groups, such as young people and people with mild intellectual disabilities.

Established in 2021, the VPF is financed by an additional gambling levy on providers of high-risk gambling and its funding is managed by the KSA with the regulator working with the Ministries of Health, Welfare and Sport and Justice and Security on how to spend funds.

Back in July, the KSA established a Duty of Care Online department to improve the supervision of online gambling operators’ duty of care.

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The Sauber F1 team competes at most international races as ‘Stake F1 Team’ as the gambling provider is the team’s main sponsor. However, Stake doesn’t hold a KSA licence and therefore is not allowed to offer or advertise gambling in the Netherlands.

The KSA noted that legislation states that gambling can’t be offered, advertised or promoted by an operator in the Netherlands without a licence. 

As such, operators without a licence must “take measures to prevent participation” in the Netherlands, such as applying geoblocking, to stop Dutch players from being able to reach their website. 

Despite geoblocking measures taken by Stake, the KSA “still sees participation by Dutch players” and therefore finds it “undesirable that illegal gambling is advertised at a Dutch event with the reach and size of Formula 1, also because the event attracts a lot of attention among vulnerable groups (minors and young adults)”. 

As a result, KSA’s board has urgently requested Sauber to not drive under the name Stake this weekend, as well as the Dutch Grand Prix organisers to not advertise the provider.

Previously, Sauber has removed its Stake sponsorship and has raced as Kick Sauber to comply with gambling regulations in certain countries.

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