Netherlands Gambling Authority selects agencies to manage addiction prevention tasks
The Netherlands Gambling Authority has announced its selection of the three agencies that are tasked with executing the country's anti-gambling addiction strategy.
The Dutch Remote Gaming Act contains a provision for the establishment of an Addiction Prevention Fund (Verslavingspreventiefonds – Vpf) which will be financed by an extension of a gambling levy on games of chance that are deemed risky.
The Vpf will be used to fund three initiatives: a general helpline/digital assistance counter (Landelijk Preventieloket), a research program into gambling addiction prevention, and anonymous treatment of gambling addiction.
The tender for the national helpline was won by Human Assistance Network for Daily Support (HANDS).
As for its research into addiction prevention, KSA has selected government health and welfare research agency, ZonMW.
The government-run National Health Care Institute (Zorginstituut Nederland) has been tasked to issue grants to relevant anonymous treatment initiatives as part of the existing “anonymous e-health" grant scheme.
Greentube acquires Eurocoin Interactive
Greentube, the Novomatic interactive division, has acquired the Waalwijk-based online slot developer Eurocoin Interactive, previously part of Novomatic Netherlands.
The deal, which will see Eurocoin Interactive renamed as Greentube Netherlands, provides Greentube with a wide range of Eurocoin’s classic slots which cater for the Dutch market. These include Random Runner, Simply Wild, and Club 2000, all of which will become available to players upon the opening of the newly regulated Dutch gaming market on October 1, 2021.
Reg Das, Eurocoin Interactive Director, commented: “When entering the newly regulated Dutch market, it is key to hit the ground running by providing high-quality, locally tailored games. Our acquisition by Greentube further enhances its impressive portfolio, which is one I am confident will be unsurpassed in the Netherlands when the regulated market opens for business later this year.”
Former “Oranje” international Jordy Clasie served two-match suspension for betting on domestic league
Former Dutch international footballer and current AZ Alkmaar player Jordy Clasie was issued a two-match suspension for betting on matches in the Dutch domestic league. Clasie served his suspension in January.
Clasie did not bet on matches involving his own team and there was no indication of match-fixing. The AZ player claimed to be unaware of the Dutch Football Association's prohibition on placing bets on matches involving the league in which players themselves compete.
Malta Gaming Authority chief colluded with murder suspect to hide casino breaches
Former Malta Gaming Authority CEO Heathcliff Farrugia colluded with murder suspect Yorgen Fenech to try to prevent the publication of findings of an inspection revealing weak anti-money laundering controls at the Tumas Gaming casinos, the Times of Malta reports.
Farrugia, who stepped down from his role at the MGA last October, told Fenech that anti-money laundering regulations are “too stringent.”
Upcoming events
The following events may be of interest to the GiH community.
Events
The third edition of CasinoBeats Summit will return to Malta from 13 – 15 July, 2021, as part of Summer iGaming Week organized in partnership with KPMG and Gaming Malta.
iGB Live and iGB Affiliate have also been moved to 28 September – 1 October, 2021, but will still take place in Amsterdam!
The 2021 Gaming in Holland Conference has been scheduled for October 1, 2021 – the very day that the regulated Dutch online market finally opens. Netherlands Gambling Authority chairman René Jansen has agreed to deliver the keynote speech. Save the date!
SiGMA Europe has been rescheduled to 16 – 18 November, 2021.
The Betting on Sports America conference and expo has been scheduled for 30 November – 2 December, 2021 and will bring together all the major players in the fast-growing North American sports betting industry.
The World Gaming Executive Summit is returning live on 6 – 8 December, 2021 at the W Hotel, Barcelona.
ICE London and iGB Affiliate London have been postponed to 1 – 3 February, 2022.
Webinars and virtual events
Mindway AI has published an on-demand webinar on player profiling and efficient responsible gaming interventions.
Don't miss the upcoming Slots Abuse Masterclass. On March 24, Ozric Vondervelden and Ed Dickerson of Ada Lovelace Consultancy will outline how operators can detect and prevent fraud with exploitable slots.
Newly licensed online operators to be allowed to keep existing customer data
In his response to Parliamentary questions submitted by MP Michiel van Nispen (SP), Minister for Legal Protection, Sander Dekker clarified the procedure surrounding the registration of new players:
“The new regulations state that license holders may only allow a player to use their product offering after the player has registered in accordance with the procedure established by the new legislation. [...] Furthermore, the Netherlands Gambling Authority has determined that future license holders may not make use of any personal data that was acquired in the period prior to obtaining a license to facilitate the registration procedure. Operators are also not allowed to make use of this data for marketing and advertising purposes.”
While future license holders are thus required to re-register existing players, a full database purge is neither mentioned nor mandated. Existing player accounts may thus be re-activated after the player has re-registered in accordance with the new rules. No cash-outs will be required.
The Netherlands Gambling Authority confirmed this interpretation of Minister Dekker's statements to CasinoNieuws.nl
Other news
An arcade hall with more than a hundred gaming machines will soon open in the city of Helmond.
Betsson Group and Betway have become the latest operators to be awarded a German sports betting license by the Regional Council of Darmstadt.
A looming ban on gambling sponsorships will put renewed financial pressure on Spanish football clubs.
Neil McArthur, Chief Executive of the UK Gambling Commission, has announced his departure.
A new study commissioned by GambleAware claims that just 5% of accounts represent more than 70% of British betting and gaming gross gambling yield.
LeoVegas has completed the acquisition of Sweden-facing sports betting firm Expekt.
Flutter is reportedly considering spinning out FanDuel as a separately traded company to trade on a US exchange.
European gambling stocks have fully erased their pandemic losses, Bloomberg reports.
Japan continues to say no to legalized online gambling.