Dutch gambling ad spend reaches €23m

The number of gambling ads has doubled following the launch of regulated online gambling at the start of October.

The Netherlands.- Dutch media have reported a notable increase in spending on the advertising of online gambling in the Netherlands following the launch of the regulated market on October 2.

The initial ten licensees (recently increased to 11) spent €23m on ads in the first two months.

The state-owned operators Holland Casino and Toto were reportedly the biggest spenders, spending an estimated €6.4m and €4.5m respectively in October and November.

That’s according to figures accessed by Dutch media outlet De Volkskrant after it requested information from television research agency Nielsen.

The operators responded by denying that they were aiming to “outdo competitors with advertisements” but that they aimed to direct players “to the safe, responsible and legal offer of online games of chance”.

They noted that they were able to begin to advertise early because they were among the first operators to gain online gaming licences.

The estimates are based on television channels and websites standards rates and do not take into consideration any possible discounts or individual agreements.

In the first two months of regulated online gaming, there were 366,000 gambling ads shown on television and on the internet in the Netherlands, more than double the 170,000 ads shown in the same period in 2020. 

Three out of four gambling advertisements involved digital gambling options and around 88 per cent of ads appeared on websites and social media.

Under the Netherlands’ new gambling legislation, gambling ads cannot be broadcast between 6am and 7pm. The trade association VNLOK has extended that to cover social media as well in its own voluntary code of conduct for gambling ads. It’s also introduced a ban on promoting bonuses among under 25s.

The Dutch gambling regulator, De Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has already issued its first sanction against one of the 11 licensees for breaching rules through a misleading ad.