Dutch gambling regulator issues new grants
The KSA has granted funding to five bodies to promote training, support and treatment advances.
The Netherlands.- The Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has announced a series of new investments through its Addiction Prevention Fund. The beneficiaries are five new projects aimed at preventing and reducing gambling harm.
The regulator has assigned funds to Anonieme Gokkers (Anonymous Gamblers Foundation), Nederlandse Vereniging voor Psychiatrie (Gamblers’ Environment Foundation), the Dutch Association for Psychiatry, the Trimbos Institute and the Naast Foundation.
The Anonymous Gamblers and Gamblers’ Environment (AGOG) foundation will train new group facilitators and invest in professional development. In addition, AGOG is exploring the possibilities for digital peer support meetings. This could offer a solution in regions where there are no physical AGOG groups yet, or for people who are unable to attend meetings on location, the KSA said.
Meanwhile, the Dutch Association for Psychiatry (NVvP) is receiving funding from the Addiction Prevention Fund for the development of a guideline for the treatment of gambling and gaming addiction. NVvP guidelines contain recommendations for the medical practice of healthcare professionals. This new guideline will follow up on one of the recommendations of the National Rapporteur on Addictions (NRV) from the report Gambling with Health.
The Trimbos Institute has launched two pilots exploring the theme of gambling funded by the Addiction Prevention Fund. The Growing Up in a Promising Environment (OKO) programme is exploring whether it can contribute to preventing gambling behavior among young people. To this end, a literature review is being conducted, monitoring data analysed, appropriate interventions sought, and discussions held with municipalities and local partners. The institute will also explore how employers can prevent gambling in the workplace and how they can better refer employees to help.
Finally, Stichting Naast receives a subsidy to provide webinars, individual counselling, and newsletters for the loved ones of people with a gambling addiction. On helpmijndierbareisverslaafd.nl, they publish additional information about gambling-related harm. The goal is to connect the information and helplines of Stichting Naast and OpenOverGokken, ensuring clear referrals between them and creating a recognisable pathway for help and advice.
The Addiction Prevention Fund (VPF) has been managed by the KSA since 2021. The fund is financed via an additional gambling levy for providers of what the KSA sees as high-risk gambling.
Earlier this week, the KSA announced that it had completed its investigation into gambling among minors. Its report concludes that it is virtually impossible for minors to gamble with legal gambling providers.
The regulator said that when age verification is circumvented, it is primarily via accounts belonging to adult family members and friends. The KSA said it will also share recommendations with online gambling providers about how to avoid minors being able to use an adult’s bank accounts or link their own bank account to an adult player’s account in cases where they have the same initials.
