Dutch consumers still don’t know how to recognise if an operator is licensed
A study commissioned by the Netherlands Online Gambling Association has found that 70 per cent don’t know how to tell if a gaming operator is licensed despite a steep rise in gambling ads.
The Netherlands.- A new study has again highlighted the increase in gambling ads seen by Dutch consumers following the launch of the regulated online gaming market in October. However, despite the increase, players still don’t know how to tell if an operator is licensed.
Carried out by Ipsos in the third week of February, the Netherlands Online Gambling Association’s (NOGA) second annual Online Gambling Barometer for 2022 found a steep increase in the number of people who saw gambling ads “very often”.
It found that 23 per cent of those aged 18 to 35 and 25 per cent of all adults had seen gambling ads “very often” in the last 12 months. That’s an increase from 6 per cent in 2021. Younger adults mostly saw ads on the internet and social media and older adults on TV.
Despite this, and a general increase in awareness of the legalisation of online gambling, still 70 per cent of players responded that they do not know how to tell if an operator is licensed.
The majority of those surveyed saw the increase in advertising as negative and believed gambling ads should only be shown after 9pm. Only 22 per cent of respondents did not mind the increase in adverts and only 25 per cent of younger respondents and 15 per cent of all adults believed role models should be allowed to appear in advertising.
The Dutch government is looking into options for tightening restrictions on gambling ads. Last week, the national gambling regulator de Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) wrote to more than 50 affiliate sites that are active in the Netherlands to warn them to respect the country’s rules on the advertising of online gambling.
The KSA warned affiliates that they should only advertise gambling sites that are licensed by the regulator to operate in the Netherlands. They must not display banners advertising non-Dutch licensed offerings, an offence that could be punished with fines.
The regulator has also begun an investigation into the targeting of gambling advertising at minors and young people aged between 18 and 24.
While MPs await legislation to clamp down on what they see as a “barrage” of gambling ads since the launch of the regulated online gambling market in October, the KSA said it would request information from licensed operators on whether they have sent ads to minors and young people.
Player numbers on the Dutch online gaming market
As for player numbers, NOGA’s report shows that the market remains stable with 12 per cent of all adults claiming to have gambled online in the last 12 months. The proportion of those who claimed to gamble daily actually fell from 9 per cent in 2021 to 2 per cent. Sports betting remains the most popular vertical, with 59 per cent of gamblers having participated.
