As an election approaches in the Netherlands, gambling is shaping up to be a major issue for winning over the electorate.
Parties are already putting out their election plans ahead of the October vote, with one of them being the centre-right VVD.
Led by Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius, the party has embedded a promise into its manifesto to increase the powers of Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) – the Dutch gambling authority.
By doing so, the VVD hopes to achieve a more effective approach towards reducing rates of online gambling harm, as well as stricter control over the market and better results when combating illegal iGaming providers.
The manifesto read: “Online gambling: We are reforming the Remote Gambling Act to combat gambling addiction.
“We give the Gaming Authority more powers to supervise online gambling providers and take enforcement action.
“In consultation with other European member states, there must also be a creative approach to combat illegal gambling companies that is in line with the approach to criminal networks.”
The above aligns not only with common European interests in combating the black market but also with several other developments related to online gambling in the Netherlands.
Legal Protections Secretary Teun Struycken is currently spearheading a list of Remote Gambling Act 2021 (KOA) reforms that already foresee the gambling regulator becoming equipped with more powers. VVD now promises to expedite this process.
The party’s focus on gambling is most likely driven by continuous warnings from the sector that the black market has now reached a concerning size, which threatens Dutch consumers.
At the most recent Gaming in Holland conference, Arjan Blok, CEO of the Dutch state lottery, stated that 25% of customers are engaging with unlicensed operators, leading to a loss of €1.3bn ($1.41bn).
VVD has clearly heard these concerns. Its manifesto to tackle the black market carries proper weight due to the party’s size. It was one of the four-party coalition governments that fell apart earlier this year, which led to new elections being scheduled for 29 October.
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