Dutch gambling regulator calls for automatic exclusion for some gamblers
The KSA’s chairman has suggested that the Netherlands should adopt a policy already in place in Belgium and Germany to protect a certain vulnerable segment of the population.
The Netherlands.- The chairman of the Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has called for certain people to be automatically excluded from gambling in the Netherlands. Michel Groothuizen has asked Claudia van Bruggen, the state secretary for Justice and Security, to implement a process under which people listed on the Central Curatorship and Administration Register (CCBR) would automatically be placed on the Netherlands’ gambling exclusion programme Cruks.
The CCBR is a national register of people whose personal or financial affairs are being managed by a legal representative. A judge can place someone in the CCBR for their own protection if it is decided that they can no longer make safe decisions. This can be due to long-standing addictions, severe mental health issues or problematic debts. There are two primary categories of registration: guardianship or fiduciary administration.
Referring to the parliamentary summer recess, Groothuizen writes in a blog on the KSA website: “I would like to make a proposal to the state secretary: use the recess period to develop a simple proposal. In addition to extending the minimum registration period in Cruks, automatically include all those registered in the CCBR in Cruks for the duration that they are under protection or guardianship.”
“We have noticed recently that there is a need for this among administrators and guardians. By linking the CCBR directly and integrally to Cruks, we would offer optimal protection to an extremely vulnerable group. This is already happening in our neighbouring countries, Belgium and Germany.”
Groothuizen said around 25,000 people in the Netherlands are receiving administrative support from the CCBR, with the same number registered for curatorship. There are currently around 120,000 people on the Cruks self-exclusion register.
Meanwhile, the KSA has updated its guidance on how online gambling operators should apply the financial means test. It says that many providers had improved their procedures, but shortcomings remained. As a result, the KSA issued ten improvement interviews, three warnings, and one binding instruction.
