The Dutch gambling authority is to recommend tighter legislation and regulations around player welfare after an investigation found providers could intervene “more quickly and effectively” on excessive or problem gaming.
Kansspelautoriteit said it conducted an investigation into 10 Netherlands-based operators, concluding that providers “may fulfill their duty of care better if the legislation surrounding the duty of care is tightened and standards are further clarified.”
René Jansen, chairman of the Gaming Authority, said: “The KSA puts safe play first. We receive worrying signals and as a supervisory authority, we investigate providers who may far exceed the limits of their duty of care. If we notice this, we will intervene.
“With this research we see where, outside of these signals, providers are not doing well. Players must be able to assume that they can play safely. We see that rules need to be tightened, precisely to further promote a safe environment for players.”
The regulator’s research, which involved the first 10 licence holders to offer gambling since the Dutch online market opened in October 2021, found that too many of the providers are “insufficiently able to intervene quickly or adequately in the event of excessive gaming or a possible gambling addiction.”
The KSA said problems with operators’ methodology in tracking or monitoring of problem players was a root cause.
It wants there to be an obligation for real-time monitoring after finding there is sometimes an “overly one-sided focus” on the amount of deposits or bets as opposed to number of hours played. The KSA also wants to introduce rules on indicators that should be included in the assessment of gaming behaviour.
Mandatory blocking of accounts of problem players until an intervention has taken place is also under consideration by the regulator.
The KSA said it was also “striking” that problem gamblers in the 18-24 age bracket “do not always stand out within the monitoring statistics” because of the lower deposit limits imposed by operators.
Kansspelautoriteit will go to the Ministry of Justice & Security with its recommendations.
