Newsletter - Netherlands Gambling Authority takes action against 15 affiliate websites ...and more!

Parliamentary majority supports designating match-fixing as separate criminal offense

A parliamentary majority of VVD, D66, CDA, SP, and CU has expressed support for making match-fixing a separate criminal offense.

Currently, match-fixing can be prosecuted under various fraud, corruption and money laundering statutes. However, these statutes fail to cover certain match-fixing-related actions.

A recent Dutch Public Prosecution Service report finds the existence of several lacunas in Dutch penal law related to match-fixing, but also notes that several foreign examples of anti-match-fixing legislation continue to have similar shortcomings.

Lower House to discuss gambling policy

On Wednesday December 15, the Permanent Committee for Justice and Security of the Dutch Lower House will discuss possible marketing restrictions, increased protections for minors and young adults, as well the future of the Dutch lottery system.

In recent weeks, there has been significant public backlash against increased gambling advertising volumes. It appears likely, despite opposition by the Ministry, that the Lower House demand additional gambling advertising restrictions.

Bet365 and Tombola mandate compliance checks for Netherlands-focused affiliates

Both Bet365 and Tombola require that their affiliates targeting the Dutch market submit to a compliance check.

While Bet365 does not charge affiliates for the service, with Bet365’s compliance department conducting its own checks, Tombola requires that its affiliates pay for an external compliance check either by local quality mark KVA (Keurmerk Verantwoorde Affiliates) or a similar service.

Alternatively, Tombola affiliates may show proof that they operate a separate protected environment from which under-24s may be excluded.

The KVA quality mark, which has been devised by Dutch law firm XY Legal Solutions BV, operates on a “per website” principle and costs €1,125 per website for the first year and €725 for subsequent years.

This requirement may represent an extra cost of tens of thousands of euros for affiliated companies with many websites.

Casino Admiral Sluis wins “Best Casino 2021” award

Casino Admiral Sluis has won OneTime's “Best Casino 2021” award, with Gran Casino Leusden and Holland Casino Venlo completing the top 3.

The expert jury praised Casino Admiral Sluis's welcoming environment. “The atmosphere is just great. From promotions to cleanliness, from snacks and drinks to the range of available slot machines: it's all exactly right,” the jury report stated.

EGBA laments fragmentation in European consumer protection rules for online gambling

A new study commissioned by the European Gaming and Betting Association has found that ten EU member states have strengthened their consumer protection rules for online gambling since 2018. However, there remains significant fragmentation in how member states implement their consumer protection rules.

“We welcome the progress made in strengthening the consumer protection rules in EU member states. In several areas, regulatory principles are converging, but there is increasing fragmentation in how the rules are implemented and this creates a complicated compliance and enforcement map for Europe’s gambling regulators and operators, while evidently also not benefiting the consumer. A more standardized regulatory framework would surely benefit all,” said Maarten Haijer, Secretary General, EGBA.

Upcoming events

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

• ICE London and iGB Affiliate London have been scheduled to take place 1 – 3 February, 2022.

Netherlands Gambling Authority takes action against 15 affiliate websites

The Netherlands Gambling Authority has taken enforcement action against fifteen affiliate websites that advertised illegal gambling offers to Dutch consumers.

After launching a total of 22 investigations, the regulator identified 15 websites that had breached Dutch gambling regulations.

In thirteen cases, the Dutch regulator issued suspended penalty payments. In the two remaining cases, the investigation has not yet fully concluded.

The Netherlands Gambling Authority did not disclose the identity of any of the affiliates or the websites they were promoting.

In related news, it appears that the Dutch regulator has launched an investigation against casinos operated by N1 Interactive Ltd. Over twenty online casinos operated by N1 no longer accept Dutch registrations, CasinoNieuws reports. Existing players, however, appear to be able to continue to make use of the unlicensed websites.

However, over twenty other online casinos operated by N1 continue to accept new registrations from players based in the Netherlands.

Other news

The Netherlands Gambling Authority has appointed three external advisors to help oversee the country’s national exclusion system CRUKS.

Holland Casino has started operating a new, central Security Observation Center which monitors activities in all fourteen venues using over 3,000 surveillance cameras.

Belgian resort town Blankenberge has unveiled plans to build a new casino.

The UK Gambling Commission has imposed a fine of £685,000 on Greentube Alderney after an investigation revealed social responsibility and money laundering failures.

Sports content company IMG Arena has become the latest member of the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA).