The Dutch gambling regulator, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has just released its latest report on the progress of the country’s regulated online gambling market under the KOA regime. The gambling authority saw a lot of progress since the market opened on October 1, 2021, but noted that there’s still plenty of room for improvement, especially on the part of the licensees.
Crackdown on Advertising Violators, Illegal Gambling Sites
A total of 24 licensed operators are now serving Dutch customers, according to KSA’s report for 2022. During the first months of the year, the regulator identified multiple operators violating advertising rules. This prompted the agency to implement stringent measures, including a ban on using role models in advertising and marketing campaigns which took effect on June 30, 2022.
Throughout the year, the KSA also intensified its crackdown on the black market, conducting 277 preliminary investigations into illegal sites and 26 investigations into illegal online gambling operators. The regulator also imposed seven fines amounting to a total of €29 million, arising from 18 intention orders.
Duty of Care Failings
The KSA found failings when it comes to duty of care, with some licensees not taking their customer intervention and safer gambling responsibilities seriously. Because of this, KSA Chairman René Jansen is not completely happy with the results of the latest evaluation, saying more needs to be done to provide a safe gaming environment for Dutch customers.
