Dutch Minister for Legal Protection Franc Weerwind, reacting to “worrying and undesirable developments” in the gambling industry, is proposing new, stricter measures to protect vulnerable consumers from gambling addiction, iGaming Business reported December 22.
Even though the government is in the midst of an evaluation of the Remote Gambling Act that won’t be completed until later this year, Weerwind said the issue was too important to further delay action.
He commented, “Everyone who wants to do so should be able to play a game of chance responsibly. But responsible gaming can turn into problematic gambling.”
Operators are now required to warn players who have a deposit limit of €350 (£303/$386) of the risks associated with gambling with such large amounts.
CasinoNieuws reports that the minister also wants to do more research on more limits on gaming. He previously announced measures to combat fraud connected with online gaming.
He continued, “With these measures, we oblige providers to intervene earlier and we give players more control over their gaming behavior. This gives players more protection against excessive gambling and addiction.”
Dutch Online Gambling Association (NOGA) Chairman Peter-Paul de Goeij warned that the proposal could harm the industry, although he supports making operators’ responsibility to protect consumers more clear.
Per iGB, the NOGA chairman declared, “It is good that the minister clarifies the rules for safe gambling and thus makes the duty of care more concrete.” He added, “At the same time, we must always be careful that legal gambling is not made too unattractive. We will study the proposal carefully and make suggestions to improve it and thus achieve the desired effects.”
Helma Lodders, chairman of the Licensed Dutch Online Gaming Providers (VNLOK), urged the government to ensure that the new measures, “are actually effective in keeping the number of problem players as small as possible.”
They should also, Lodders said, make legal gambling “sufficiently attractive for the vast majority of players who participate in a responsible manner. The latter is important to prevent them from returning to the illegal supply.”
At the same time the Dutch Gaming Authority (KSA) has begun its consultation of revising the Responsible Gaming Policy Rules.
These include requiring operators to recognize and act on signs of excessive gambling within an hour, and to contact players who deposit over €700 during a month to be asked to provide a proof of income. The requirement is even stricter for youths aged 18-24.
