The Dutch government is planning another wave of restrictions on online gambling, targeting advertising, deposits, and the illegal market.
This builds on a series of regulatory changes over the four years since the 2021 Remote Gaming Act (KOA) was adopted, notably including a significant rollback of advertising.
Advertising will now be completely banned if State Secretary for Legal Protection Claudia van Bruggen’s proposals are given the green light by the House of Representatives.
Heading up the Cabinet’s approach to minimising gambling harm, van Burggen has proposed the following measures:
- A total ban on online gambling advertising
- A total ban on bonuses such as free bets when creating an account
- Creating an overarching deposit limit for online gambling
- Further enhancing the CRUKS self-exclusion system
- Clamping down on illegal activity
“I find it particularly concerning that more and more people, and especially young people, have started gambling online and are getting into trouble as a result,” said van Bruggen.
“It is high time to reverse this trend.”
The government is moving to put these plans into a legislative proposal, while van Bruggen also works on a ‘Multi Year Agenda for Protection against Gambling Damage”.
This agenda will include raising awareness among gamblers, combating what the government calls a “normalisation of gambling”, cultivating a safer gambling environment, facilitating early detection of gambling harm and creating better access to help for problem gamblers.
“With the proposed measures, I am taking an important step to better protect people against the negative effects of gambling, such as addiction and debt,” van Burggen continued.
“Special attention is being paid to young people and young adults because they are particularly vulnerable to the risks of gambling.”
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