Dutch gaming operator fined over role model appearances
Role models appeared in a promotion linked to Europe’s biggest motorsport festival.
The Netherlands.- The Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has announced that it imposed a €400,000 fine on JOI Gaming Limited for using role models in an in-person promotional campaign linked to JACK’S Racing Day back in 2023. Using role models in gambling advertisements for casinos, sports betting or online gambling is prohibited in the Netherlands to protect vulnerable target groups such as young adults.
JACK’S Racing Day is Europe’s largest combined motorsport festival, held annually at the TT Circuit in Assen. The KSA says that it identified the use of several role models promoting JACK’S Racing Day 2023. They signed caps featuring the JACK’S logo and brand name.
Photos were also posted on the JACK’S Racing Day website and social media channels, showing role models posing with hostesses in company uniforms bearing the JACK’S logo. The KSA had previously ordered JOI to remove the social posts immediately, with which the company complied.
The fine against JOI Gaming has only just been made public because JOI Gaming requested a preliminary injunction from a court.
“To protect vulnerable groups such as young people, strict rules apply to the use of role models in gambling advertising,” the KSA said. “Role models include celebrities, (former) professional footballers, or influencers. They can serve as role models of success, behavior, or an ideal lifestyle for impressionable young adults. Therefore, the use of role models is prohibited for high-risk gambling, such as online gambling.”
The Dutch ban on role models in gambling ads came into force in 2022. The regulator noted that for lower-risk gambling, such as lotteries, role models may be used under strict conditions.
This year, the Netherlands implemented a ban on gambling sponsorship in sports. The KSA has said that operators and clubs were generally quick to respect the prohibition.
