Dutch National Information Centre for Gamblers launches pilot centre
The centre in Amsterdam includes a drop-in facility.
The Netherlands.- The National Information Centre for Gamblers (Slicks) has announced the launch of a new pilot centre offering problem gambling support in Amsterdam. The project includes a drop-in facility on the Keizersgracht canal.
Funded by the Addiction Prevention Fund (VPF), the centre is intended to offer information, advice and support from experts and problem bettors. It will offer individual guidance programmes alongside workshops and group awareness sessions.
Slicks said the project would be evaluated after 12 months to decide whether the objectives were met before a decision is made on a possible expansion to other locations.
The VPF was created in 2021. Its funds come from a statutory levy on operators who provide games that are deemed to be more risky, such as online slots. The Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) oversees the distribution of the resources.
Calls for more reforms for online gambling in the Netherlands
Meanwhile, the Dutch Scientific Research and Data Centre (WODC) has called for regulatory forms for Dutch gambling to introduce a centralised duty of care and more powers for the KSA. It made the call after conducting research that found that 64 per cent of over 16s gambled in some form in 2024. Only 10 per cent gambled online, but such players were found to be at higher risk.
The KSA issued a general warning to operators this week after observing poor practices during its monitoring of new affordability checks. With the introduction of new deposit limits for online gambling in the Netherlands in October, operators must now conduct affordability checks on all players who want to deposit more than €700 a month (€300 a month for under 25s). The limits apply for each calendar month, and operators must request documents that provide proof of income. However, the KSA said that some operators’ approaches have been insufficient.
