Dutch gambling operators launch their own weapon against Illegal offerings
Two operator associations have launched a new reporting system to highlight the risks posed by illegal gambling.
The Netherlands.- Amid growing concerns about the effectiveness of enforcement against illegal gambling in the Netherlands, two trade bodies have decided to take action of their own. They have created a new reporting portal to help identify offenders and flag up concerns.
The Netherlands Online Gambling Association (NOGA) and Vergunde Nederlandse Online Kansspelaanbieders (VNLOK) have launched the Meld Vals Spel (False Gambling Reporting Point), which can be used by any licensed gambling operator as well as by partners and professional stakeholders.
Located at Meldvalsspel.nl, the portal allows users to report high-risk practices detected at illegal gambling websites or apps. They can use the site to report, for example, player protection issues, excessive bonuses or sites that do not undertake age verification.
VNLOK and NOGA had called for increased monitoring of black market gambling after data suggested that channelisation rates were lower than estimated by the regulator. They hope the new portal will highlight the risks of illegal gambling in the Netherlands and better ensure that illegal operators are punished, as they will share findings with the Dutch gambling regulator, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), as well as with politicians and social media platforms.
Helma Lodders, chair of VNLOK, and Eric Konings, acting director of NOGA, said in a statement: “Licensed providers of online gambling have a joint responsibility to offer players a legal, safe and responsible offer. This often works well, but it can also be improved. We are working hard on this every day.”
They said recent research by affiliate compliance specialist Quality Mark Responsible Affiliates showed that at least 270,000 Dutch consumers reached illegal gambling websites each month via Google.
“Many Dutch people still come into contact with illegal gambling sites and apps,” they said. “These illegal parties actively respond to the increasingly strict Dutch regulations by, for example, advertising on search terms such as ‘playing without limits’ or ‘playing without Cruks. In doing so, they specifically attract vulnerable players. These types of illegal practices endanger the safety of players and must be tackled firmly.”
The launch of the portal comes after the Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) issued a hefty fine for illegal gambling against Blue High House. It’s not the first time it’s fined the operator, but this time it’s demanding €1.1m after the company continued to offer online gambling in the Netherlands without a local licence despite a previous penalty fee of €129,000 in June.
The KSA said it took the decision to impose a new penalty on November 5 in relation to the website Betonline.ag. The regulator first investigated the site in December 2021 and followed up with inspections in January and March of 2022 and 2023. Each time, it found that players in the Netherlands could enter the website, open an account, deposit money and gamble.
Dutch gambling reforms
Dutch gambling regulations have already been toughened since the launch of regulated online gambling in 2021. A ban on untargeted gambling ads came into force in July 2023, and new deposit limits kicked in in October.
However, opposition MPs are now pushing to go further after the Dutch government’s review of the country’s Remote Gambling Act published earlier this month concluded that responsible gambling measures were insufficient. A private members’ bill introduced by Michiel van Nispen, leader of the Socialist Party, and Mirjam Bikker, leader of Christen Unie, would ban all gambling advertisements. It would also introduce compulsory limits for deposits and play time for online casino and would ban all gambling using credit. The MPs also want an update to the national self-exclusion CRUKS scheme, while operators would have to pay more to gambling-related healthcare programmes.
But there are already signs that operators are starting to question the viability of the Dutch regulated gambling market. LiveScore Bet and Flutter’s Tombola have announced their exits from the market since the government approved a phased increase in gambling tax starting in January 2025.
