Dutch gambling regulator asks operators for sponsorship details ahead of ban

The KSA has requested information on the length and contents of gambling operators’ sponsorship contracts.

The Netherlands.- The Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has reportedly sent a request for information to online casino operators to request details of their sponsorship agreements. The move comes ahead of a ban on gambling sponsorship from next year.

The local industry news site Casino Nieuws has reported that operators have been asked to detail when sponsorships deals were signed, how long they are due to last and what they include. Operators must detail whether the agreement is with a team, stadium or other body and the form that the sponsorship takes, for example, shirt sponsorship or ads at stadiums.

When it comes to media sponsorship, the KSA wants to know the type of media and how many broadcasts the agreement covers. For event sponsorship, it wants to know the event’s name and location and what advertising looks like. It has asked for the information to be provided by March 29.

While the Netherlands banned most forms of gambling advertising from July 1 last year, a ban on sponsorship in sports and events was postponed until July 2025 in order to give sports clubs time to adapt and to allow existing deals to lapse. The exception only covers agreements signed before July 1 2023.

Following the ban on sponsorship, only targeted advertising such as that via on-demand streaming, social media and direct mail remain permitted.

Earlier this month, the KSA blocked an unnamed football club’s plans to celebrate its performance by draping a building in a giant ad featuring an image of its captain. The gambling regulator said the billboard would breach the Netherlands’ ban on gambling ads.

The KSA warned the municipality and the football club involved that a preventive sanction would be issued if the advert went ahead. The problem is the logo of the club’s sponsor, an igaming provider, on the team’s shirt. The KSA said this meant the placement would breach the ban on untargeted gambling advertising.