Kansspelautoriteit, the Dutch regulator for gambling regulation has amended its Responsible Gaming Policy Rules. The new rule mandates deposit limits for 18-24 year old players of EUR300 ($325) (PS255/$325) and EUR700 ($325) (for players over 24 years).
KSA announced the new regulations today (3 June) and praised the deposit limits for being a major step in creating a safe market for youth.
Today, the Responsible Gaming Policy Rule has been published in The Official Gazette of Netherlands and is now effective. KSA has clarified, however, that some policies including deposit limits will be in effect as of 1 October. It is necessary to make certain IT modifications. Operators will also need to hire new staff to supervise the changes.
Operators must now conduct financial checks on young people (defined as those aged 18-24) who deposit EUR300 or higher. This is to make sure they have the money to wager. The same applies to those who deposit EUR700 and above.
The operator will block all future deposits in that month if the individual is unable to pay the required amount.
In exceptional cases, an operator may deviate the EUR300 limit. A professional poker player who needs to deposit more money for a tourney is an example.
Monitoring in “real time” is more strict
In the amended Responsible Gaming Policy Rule, operators are also instructed to monitor player behavior more closely in “real time”. Operators, both online and land-based, must act within an hour after identifying potentially damaging gambling behavior such as excessive play. The monitoring system must operate 24 hours per day.
Signs of excessive participation, according to the new policy include:
- Playing for long hours of the night.
- Betting continuously;
- Depositing multiple times.
KSA defines gamblers who spend more than six hours a day gambling as being at risk of gambling harm.
The publication of the Official Gazette states that “with this policy rule the Gaming Authority seeks to flesh out laws and regulations which apply to recruitment and advertising by license holders as well as to addiction prevention policies and their implementation by licence holders where applicable.”
Why did KSA amend the rules?
KSA released a report in September 2023 on the duty of care at 10 operators. KSA asked operators to provide information about player monitoring, data on players and policies for addiction prevention as part of the study. According to the regulator, operators did not always act quickly enough when players were at risk.
KSA stated that its research results, along with the recent changes to the gambling advertising rules, and the ban on role models, led to the creation of a draft to amend the Responsible Gambling policy Rule.
A consultation was held after this draft. A total of 33 comments were received from experts, operators and trade associations. Responses were mostly centered around prevention of addiction.
The Netherlands is cracking down the market
This is the latest effort to regulate the Dutch gambling market.
A coalition agreement reached in May by four Dutch parties called for an increase of gambling taxes from 30,5% to 37,8%. Holland’s House of Representatives voted in April to prohibit both “high-risk” gambling online and online advertising. This includes slot machines.
Keurmerk Responsible Affiliates also found in a study conducted last month that there were illegal betting operators operating within the Netherlands. Peter-Paul de Goeij of the Netherlands Online Gambling Association responded by saying he was expecting a “rigorous response” from KSA.
KSA also issued a few fines to operators who were not licensed and offered their games on the Dutch market. Sarah Eternal received a fine of EUR280,000 per week for not having a license, and Casbit was given a warning.
