Dutch gambling regulator discusses duty of care barriers and bottlenecks with operators
The KSA gathered online gaming operators to discuss three key topics in a bid to improve player protection.
The Netherlands.- The Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has held a roundtable discussion with online gambling providers after three recent studies revealed areas of improvement for player protection and duty of care. The KSA presented findings and discussed three key topics: notifications in the self-exclusion platform Cruks, personal interviews and the closure of player accounts.
Notifications in Cruks
The KSA reminded operators that if they suspect excessive participation or gambling addiction in a player and the measures offered prove insufficient, they are obligated to advise the player to register with Cruks. If the player fails to do so, the provider must report this to the KSA by submitting a notification.
Based on this notification, the KSA can decide to involuntarily register the player on Cruks. The KSA said its research revealed that providers had experienced barriers to submitting notifications. It also revealed significant differences between providers in the number of notifications they submit and said that the information in notification files is not always complete.
It picked out Optdeck Service Limited (Unibet) and Holland Casino as operators that provide good and complete files. They gave a presentation to share how they had structured their notification process.
Personal interview
Another point of discussion was the mandatory personal interview that providers are required to conduct with players exhibiting excessive gambling behavior. The study revealed the bottlenecks providers are experiencing and areas for improvement in implementation.
The KSA discussed with the providers how the implementation of personal maintenance could be improved so that timely and appropriate intervention can be made.
Closing player accounts
The final discussion focused on the practical aspects of closing player accounts. The KSA heard from providers about how they handle situations when players want to close their accounts and the obstacles they encounter.
The regulator said it was a productive and valuable meeting. It intends to incorporate the input gathered into its next steps and investigations. These topics will also receive more attention in the coming year.
“It was good to engage in discussions with the providers. This is educational for the sector and also provides useful input for our oversight,” said Ella Seijsener, head of the Online Duty of Care department.
Improvement in operator data quality
The KSA also recently announced that it had seen an improvement in the data quality provided by operators for its control database (CDB), which records gaming data in near real time.
During the last inspection in July of this year, several shortcomings were identified. However, subsequent re-inspection in October showed that all providers have addressed these shortcomings and that the periodic checks contribute to the data quality in the CDBs.
While the regulator said most providers have made progress and improved data quality, it said a few have not made sufficient progress and require additional attention. It stressed that errors must be resolved as quickly as possible to prevent recurrence, but that historical data must also be updated and improved afterward.
