Dutch gambling regulator says operator interventions rarely effective
A KSA survey suggests operators should make more contact with customers.
The Netherlands.- The Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has found that operators rarely contact problem gamblers. In a new target group study, it surveyed a small group of 139 people in care registered with AGOG, an NGO that provides treatment to problem gamblers.
Although providers are required to intervene in the event of signs of problematic gambling, the research suggests that this rarely happens effectively. Some 68 per cent of respondents were never approached personally and 83 per cent never received an entry or gaming ban. Of those who did receive a ban, half switched to another provider.
The sample comprised 70 per cent of participants of AGOG self-help groups in the autumn of 2024. The regulator noted that the group is not representative of all people with a gambling problem in the Netherlands, because most gamblers with a problem do not seek help, but it said the results provide valuable insights into gambling behaviour, the consequences of gambling and the effectiveness of interventions and assistance.
Most respondents started gambling at a young age: 81 per cent before the age of 24 and 46 per cent even before the age of 18. While respondents often gambled physically, such as in arcades and casinos, online gambling is dominant among respondents who started in the past ten years.
Many respondents indicated that they gambled both legally and illegally because there were no legal online alternatives in the past. Other respondents gambled illegally because they were registered on the self-exclusion register Cruks and therefore no longer had access to legal platforms.
Almost all respondents admited to problematic gambling behaviour, such as the urge to win back losses, betting more and more money and gambling daily. Three quarters of respondents played on multiple websites at the same time, which the KSA says shows the importance of overarching play limits.
The majority of respondents experienced financial, social and mental problems. However, the amount of financial loss varied greatly: half had lost more than €50,000, while a quarter of respondents indicated that they had lost less than €1,000. The regulator said this shows that not everyone with a gambling problem suffers large losses, but the longer someone gambles, the greater the loss often is.
More than half of the respondents joined AGOG in the past two years and have since stopped gambling. The main reasons for seeking help were problems with relationships, mental complaints and money problems. Two thirds of the participants receive help from an addiction institution and have been registered for a gambling stop.
The study also found that the temptation to gamble remained present for many respondents. Advertisements, physical gambling locations and the behaviour of loved ones played a major role, the KSA said. The legalisation of online gambling in 2021 was cited by many as a factor that has increased the temptation, while there is a feeling that the protection of players has not improved since then.
The KSA said it would use the results of this research to further tighten its supervision and to discuss more effective protection of players with providers and policymakers. Personal interventions, stricter limits and more targeted information may play an important role, it said.
Tomorrow, (July 1), the Netherlands’ ban on gambling sponsorship in sports comes into force. The kSA has previously warned operators not to seek loopholes in the new prohibition.
Last week, the KSA issued two warnings to Unibet operator Optdeck, one for untargeted advertising and the other for offering autoplay. The advertising in question relates to the Kindred Group subsidiary’s sponsorship of the Unibet Tietema Rockets cycling team.
Part of this sponsorship is a coach on which the Unibet logo can be seen and which has been used in the Netherlands to transport the sports team as well as for other purposes. The KSA said that these uses violated the Netherlands’ ban on untargeted gambling advertising, which came into force in July 2023.
