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The Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) has said that tackling illegal gambling operators is a “high priority” in 2024 having recently conducted two investigations into advertising for illegal operators on affiliate and online newspaper websites.
The KSA said these websites enticed people to gamble with illegal operators “especially if consumers were registered in Cruks”, the country’s national self-exclusion register.
During its investigation that focused on vulnerable players, the KSA found websites, including four of the most visited affiliate sites, specifically targeted self-excluded players.
“The website owners seem to be hiding. The KSA has therefore started a follow-up investigation,” according to a press release on February 21.
A second investigation focused on affiliate marketing for illegal casinos after the ban on untargeted advertising was introduced in July 2023, which was aimed at protecting vulnerable groups, including young people, from the risk of gambling addiction.
The law also bans advertising across most media outlets.
This investigation found ten affiliate sites in violation of the law, with five responding to the threat of enforcement action by “immediately” stopping the violations. The investigation into the other five sites is still ongoing.
There have long been fears that affiliates and the black market would try and take advantage of the untargeted ad ban, with the KSA promising to investigate stakeholder reports and concerns about illegal affiliates and operators when the law was introduced.
Seven illegal casinos were also found to be advertised by these affiliates, with the KSA already starting a sanctions process against all seven of the illegal operators.
Six online newspapers were also contacted by the regulator for referring their consumers to affiliates that promote illegal gambling. All of these digital papers took “immediate” action, removing the adverts.
Gambling advertising has recently faced increasing public and political scrutiny in the Netherlands.
Dutch MP Derk Boswijk of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party submitted a motion in parliament proposing a total ban on gambling advertising; however, the motion was quickly rejected.
