KSA clarifies rules for the Netherlands’ ban on gambling ads

The Netherlands will ban untargeted gambling advertising from July 1.

The Netherlands.- The Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has clarified the rules that will come into force with the implementation of the Netherlands’ ban on gambling advertising from July 1. The KSA said it would be monitoring compliance with the rules.

The Dutch ban prohibits all gambling advertising on television, radio, newspaper, magazines and in public places such as on billboards or bus stops. The ban on advertising in public places also includes publicly accessible buildings, including gaming venues such as casinos and slots arcades.

Online advertising will still be permitted provided that it is “targeted”. This may be by direct mail on online gambling websites or via on-demand TV or social media. In these cases, gaming licensees have a “best efforts obligation” to take measures to prevent young people or vulnerable groups from seeing the adverts.

There will also be a “result obligation“, under which gambling operators will be required to guarantee that 95 per cent of the people reached by gambling adverts are aged 24 or older. Operators will have to monitor the reach of their ads in order to demonstrate compliance. The KSA will be able to request reports.

Operators must also ensure that those who see the ads have the ability to opt out in order to communicate that they do not wish to see more of them.

The KSA clarified that advertising on providers’ gambling interfaces does not fall under the advertising ban since this is targeted at customers already on the site or app. It also reminded operators that under existing laws they must not target bonuses at vulnerable groups or young adults.

Last month, the KSA published its fourth online gambling monitoring report since the Netherlands’ regulated igaming market launched in October 2021. The report reveals that the number of player accounts rose by 52.6 per cent in the six months to January 2023.

The number of player accounts in January was 859,000, up from 563,000 in July 2022. Meanwhile, gross gambling revenue from the market rose by 37.7 per cent year-on-year from €90m in January 2022 to €124m.