Dutch gambling regulator warns lottery over advertorial

The KSA said that a feature in a major Dutch newspaper breached the Netherlands’ rules for gambling ads.

The Netherlands.- The Dutch gambling regulator has issued a warning to the ‘Friends’ Lottery’ VriendenLoterij about an advertorial in a major Dutch newspaper for breaching advertising rules. It says the VriendenLoterij immediately had the article taken offline from the unnamed media outlet as soon as it was notified of the breach.

While lotteries are exempt from the Netherlands’ ban on gambling advertising introduced in July 2023, they still have to abide by strict rules. Lotteries often use so-called ‘winner stories’ to promote their products, and this is allowed. However, the stories must not present gambling as a potential solution to personal or financial problems.

A member of the public had complained that the VriendenLoterij advertorial featured a winner’s story in which a participant was described as being able to pay medical bills as a result of the prize he won. The KSA warned that by presenting participation in a game of chance as a solution to personal or financial problems, people may spend more money than they originally intended. It is therefore not permitted to advertise by telling winner stories that relate to issues such as homelessness, medical problems, funeral costs or the payment of overdue bills.

Meanwhile, the KSA is preparing to police an upcoming ban on gambling sponsorship in the Netherlands from July 1 as the country toughens restrictions on gambling promotion further. Michel Groothuizen, chairman of the regulator, has been watching the results of the ban introduced in neighbouring Belgium in January and has warned that the Dutch regulator will not tolerate the use of creative loopholes.