René Jansen to depart as chair of the Dutch gambling regulator
Jansen will not stand for reelection when his current term at the helm of the KSA expires.
The Netherlands.- The Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has announced that René Jansen will not serve another term as the regulator’s chairman. Jansen reaches retirement age at the end of the year and will not stand for reelection to continue after his current six-year term ends on October 1, 2024.
A proposed resignation date has been set for July 1, 2024. Jansen’s tenure as chair of the KSA saw the launch of the Netherlands’ regulated online gambling market in October 2021. Jansen has also served as chair and vice-chair of the Gambling Regulators European Forum during his tenure.
Before joining the KSA, Jansen was president of the European Healthcare Fraud and Corruption Network. He has also served at bodies including the International Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands and Greenpeace and has occupied positions in government.
Jansen said in a statement: “In recent years I have committed myself to the KSA’s mission of safe play with great energy and pleasure. There are many great challenges for the new chairman.
“The KSA has an important role as a supervisor and enforcer in the various gaming markets. This management position is challenging, requires creativity, innovation and decisiveness, but above all has great social value.”
The KSA said it has begun a recruitment process. The new chairman, who will serve a six-year term, will be appointed by the minister for legal protection, Franc Weerwind.
The KSA has reported that net gaming revenue (NGR) from the Netherlands’ licensed gambling market reached €3.4bn in 2022, the first full calendar year with regulated online gambling. NGR (deposits minus prizes paid) rose 85 per cent year-on-year, although this was largely due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on figures in 2021.
Earlier this month, the KSA reported that the growth of the Netherlands’ regulated online gambling market appears to be levelling off. The number of active licences to operate on the market has grown from an initial 10 upon opening to 27, following the launch of LeoVegas.
Gross gaming result (BSR), as the KSA refers to net gambling revenue, has grown with the expansion of the market. However, the latest figures show that the growth appears to be stagnating. BSR for the 12 months from August 2022 to July 2023 was €1.3bn. Revenue grew by 33 per cent from August 2022 to January 2023 but by 8 per cent from January 2023 to August 2023.
