Dutch authority adds age verification criteria

The Dutch gambling authority KSA has added age verification as priority criteria in the approach to online gambling.

Netherlands.- Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the gambling regulator from the Netherlands, has announced that age verification will be a priority in the approach to online gambling. With effect from January 1, 2020, age verification will be a must for online gambling operators.

KSA said that providers of online gambling that don’t visibly verify the age of participants before the registration process is completed, will be dealt with as a priority with the regulator and risk a fine.

“The range of illegal online games of chance is huge. KSA makes choices in combating this, with the protection of Dutch consumers as the guiding principle. The criteria of age verification is now added to the criteria that the KSA uses for this. Preventing minors from taking part in gambling is an important priority of the KSA,” said the regulator.

Failure to verify age before the registration process has been completed also has consequences in the longer term. This violation is negatively taken into account at a later stage if an online gambling license is applied for in the context of the Remote Gambling Act. This law, which is not yet in force and is currently being developed further, makes online gambling legal under strict conditions. The expectation is that permits can be applied for from January  1, 2021. License applicants are then tested for reliability, among other things.

“The statement by the participant to be of age is not enough. It must be clear to players how their age is being verified. KSA emphasises that offering games of chance without a license is prohibited. Satisfying the age verification requirement does not mean that the KSA will refrain from enforcement, or that a future permit application will be considered positive.”

KSA to expose operators that refuse to pay fines

KSA will make public which gambling operators refuse to pay the imposed fines. KSA aims to inform consumers about providers that may be unreliable. It has the authority to impose a fine on a gambling provider that violates the Gambling Act. If a provider doesn’t pay after a reminder, the KSA starts a collection procedure. The Dutch regulator said that it will make this public by mentioning the refusal of payment with the decision on its website.

Before the KSA exposes the operators, the company in question is first given the opportunity to give an opinion on the disclosure. If a company later pays the fine or makes a payment arrangement, the payment refusal will be removed from the website.