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Newsletter - KSA chairman warns operators to advertise in responsible and appropriate manner

Last chance: Online Gaming Management Masterclass - NL Focus | 7 – 11 June


Only a few places are still available for the Online Gaming Management Masterclass - NL Focus, a course specifically designed to provide you with the practical skills and knowledge to successfully operate an online gaming business in the regulated Dutch market.


The course is taught by Jason “Wolf” Rosenberg and Itsik Akiva (formerly Totally Gaming Academy), who also trained Holland Casino and Nederlandse Loterij staff in the past.


Can you afford to be less well prepared?


The course will cover the following topics:

· The Online Gaming Ecosystem

· Gaming Economy and Revenue Generation

· Protection Measures for Operators and Players

· Bonus Management

· Player Acquisition, Marketing Channels, and Marketing Technology

· Player Retention, Promotions, Loyalty and VIP Management

· Business Planning, Product Management & The Online Gaming Balance Sheet

· In Practice - Planning Your Next Steps



Minister Dekker: “Fast lane” for match-fixing reports

In response to Parliamentary questions (I, II, III, IV), Minister for Legal Protection Sander Dekker announced that the Financial Intelligence Unit (part of the Netherlands National Police Corps) will get a so-called “fast lane” to process match-fixing reports.


The Dutch Remote Gambling Act stipulates that licensed betting operators are obligated to report instances of suspicious betting activity and possible match-fixing. However, as match-fixing typically involves the laundering of dirty money, all such reports must be made to the Financial Intelligence Unit. These reports, in accordance with the Dutch Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Prevention) Act (Wwft), must also be kept secret.


Recently, Dutch sports associations expressed concern that reports of suspected match-fixing would therefore be unlikely to be shared in a timely manner.


The newly announced “fast lane” has been designed to address this issue.


Netherlands Gambling Authority fines Curaçao-based operator

The Netherlands Gambling Authority has hit Curaçao-based operator Raging Rhino, operator of the luckydays.com website, with a €440,000 fine for offering online gambling services in the Netherlands without a license.


An investigation by the Dutch regulator found that between May 1 and July 31, 2020, the Curaçao-based operator processed 224,630 iDEAL transactions – totaling more than €18m.

Raging Rhino has paid the fine and the luckydays.com website is no longer accessible from the Netherlands, the Dutch regulator further reported.


In related news, the Netherlands Gambling Authority also announced that it assisted local law enforcement in a series of raids in the Netherlands and Spain, as part of an investigation into illegal online gaming operations and money laundering.


Money, jewelry, and luxury vehicles were seized as part of the raid.


Upcoming events

The following events may be of interest to the GiH community.

  • 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 1 October, 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.


Netherlands Gambling Authority chairman warns operators to advertise in responsible and appropriate manner

In a personal blog post, Netherlands Gambling Authority chairman René Jansen has warned future licensed operators to advertise in a “responsible and appropriate” manner in order to avoid a regulatory backlash.


While the current regulatory framework does not limit the amount of gambling advertising, this could conceivably change if licensed operators fail to act responsibly, Jansen suggested. Advertising restrictions and bans in other European jurisdictions (Italy, Spain, Belgium, the UK) have shown that immoderate advertising may eventually cause a public and political backlash.


In the Netherlands, several Parliamentary groups – together not far shy from a majority – have already indicated that they would welcome additional restrictions.


Other news

The Netherlands Gambling Authority and the UK Gambling Commission have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the goal of improving cooperation between the regulatory agencies.


Lithuania’s government has announced a ban on various forms of gambling advertising, including all promotional bonuses, with effect from 1 July.


Playtech has struck a deal to sell off its financial trading division Finalto for $210m to a consortium led by Tel Aviv-based private equity and venture capital firm Barinboim Group.


Operator Betsson Group has been granted licenses for online gaming and betting in Greece by the Hellenic Gaming Commission.


The UK has seen a significant drop in moderate and low-risk gambling rates for the year to March 2021, according to the latest data from the UK Gambling Commission.

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