New Responsible Gaming App for Dutch Players
Nearly one million Dutch players already wager, bet, or gamble online. These punters may now use a new, free mobile app Bet.ter in order to prevent problem gambling and to better understand their playing behavior.
The app, the first of its kind in the Netherlands, focuses on recreational players. Users can preset playing budgets and be notified when these budgets are exceeded. Bet.ter shows players how much they have won and lost and how much they have left to bet with. Players are also able to enter data from multiple gaming accounts.
The app also includes a self-test, tips to play responsibly and the ability to quickly get in touch with the Center for Responsible Gaming. The app is available for download for users of both Android and iOS.
Watch a brief introduction about the app (in English) here.
The app was developed by the Center for Responsible Gaming in partnership with Speel Verantwoord.
Responsible gaming veteran Pieter Remmers, CEO at Assissa Consultancy, will discuss this app, as well as a few others, during the responsible gaming session at the upcoming Gaming in Holland Conference. Don't miss it!
Gaming in Holland Conference Welcomes New Sponsors SBTech, CDDN, and IAmsterdam
We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new sponsors: sportsbetting platform provider SBTech, customer data verifier CDDN, and city portal IAmsterdam.
SBTech's celebrated live betting platform won consecutive EGR “Innovation in In-Play Betting” awards in 2014 and 2015, as well as a “Best Sports Betting Supplier” EGR Nordics award in 2016.
CDDN founder Martijn de Boer explains how his company can almost instantly verify customer identities, using no more than basic details that players can easily submit online:
“Using basic details, such as a combination of a player’s name, address and place of residence, we can check the validity of their identity. This way, you can be 99.99 per cent certain that your customer is who they say they are. Next, we use these details to check the customer’s credit rating so you know right away whether they have been placed under guardianship or are in financial difficulties. […] These methods ensure a future-proof solution for gambling providers.”
Dutch State Collects 7,8% Less Gaming Tax in 2015 than Budgeted
In 2015, the Dutch State only collected €475 million in gaming taxes, as opposed to the expected €515 million.
While this amount is estimated to rise significantly in the wake of the expected legalization of online gaming in 2017, even then, tax yields are likely to be disappointing as the proposed rate of 29% will make the Dutch online market unattractive to many operators.
As fresh data from the UK, French, and Italian markets shows, modest tax rates maximize potential tax yield and minimize illegal activity, while the opposites are equally true.
“Huge Disconnect between Gaming Regulators and the Industry”
Especially in light of the above, it is thus hardly surprising that “there […] still [is] a perception of a huge disconnect and lack of dialogue between the gaming regulators and the industry:”
“Well known and often heard complaints were voiced about those in charge of legislation and regulation not listening, not understanding, not being open enough to the industry. And even if they appear to be open, like in the example of the Dutch industry consultation, they ignore industry’s recommendations. Indeed, following the invitation of the Dutch authorities to provide input on the upcoming iGaming regulation, the 29% tax has beenproposed, which pretty much removes commercial viability to operate in the market for most brands. ‘It was just a PR exercise for the government,’ one participant concluded.”
Also speaking on the disconnect between regulators and operators, Richard Schuetz, Executive Director at the Bermuda Casino Gaming Commission, observes that regulators have often no experience whatsoever in the business they are supposed to oversee. But what if, for instance, doctors were “regulated by people who had never worked in medicine?” Schuetz wonders.
Swedish Ban on Online Gaming Activities Hurts Local Economy
Strict regulation is preventing wildly successful Swedish gaming companies, such as Unibet. NetEnt, and Betsson from operating in their homeland and boosting the country's local economy.
“Instead, they have been forced to seek refuge in countries like Malta and the United Kingdom […] It is as grotesque as if the automotive industry, the fashion industry or the telecommunications industry had been prohibited from operating in Sweden,” Gustaf Hoffstedt, Secretary General of the Swedish Association for Online Gaming writes.
Netherlands Gaming Authority Takes Additional Step to Block Payments to Unlicensed Operators
Pay.nl is the latest payment services provider to sign an agreement with the Netherlands Gaming Authority (Kansspelautoriteit) to block payments to and from customers of unlicensed gaming operators.
In related news, the regulator also signed an agreement with the Dutch Financial Market Authority (AFM) to coordinate their respective supervisory activities.
Other News
Don't forget: the upcoming Sponsorreport Conference, which will take place on May 26 in Amsterdam, will include a session on the upcoming opening of the Dutch sports betting market.
Dutch political parties VVD and SP want more oversight over online gaming on Curaçao.
The UK-based Responsible Gaming Trust recently launched an online database containing over 2400 international studies on responsible gaming.
Italian online gambling regulator Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (AAMS) claims blacklisting and ISP blocking to have been successful in combating unlicensed operators.
Swedish regulator Lotteriinspektionen has announced that all major operators in the country’s regulated market were able to post year-on-year growth during the opening quarter of the year.
French gambling operator Betclic Everest Group has re-entered Belgium’s online gambling market.