Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) is funding a pilot that will supply Gamban services to people in the Netherlands free of charge for a year.
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.”
