The Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch gambling regulator has told local players that they stand to lose out on funds if they find that gambling platforms are suddenly shut and that don’t have access to their money.
New and restrictive igaming laws require that unlicensed gambling sites block Dutch customers. Failing to do so may see the sites confronted with legal action by KSA.
A number of online casinos are in the process of applying for a Dutch gambling license and will eventually become eligible, however, until such time, they need to block Dutch players.
If this happens, players may very well lose access to their funds at these sites and they will have no recourse to receive their money.
The regulator regularly publishes a list of online gambling sites that it deems illegal and investigates them to make sure that they block Dutch customers. In November alone, 25 casinos were investigated.
The Dutch industry came under regulation in October last year, and players from this country may only play at licensed sites.
As a result of the new regulations, licensed sites have been told that they need to limit their advertising.
“It has of course not escaped my notice that the amount of advertising, especially for online games of chance, is causing quite a stir,” said Rene Jansen chairman of the KSA. “An important part of the General Consultation on Gaming in the House of Representatives on 15 December was about this. It became clear that political patience when it comes to this subject is very limited.
“The House has already passed several motions calling on the government to put an end to gambling advertisements. The new cabinet will soon have to adopt a position on this.”
