Vbet goes live in the Netherlands, LeoVegas receives Dutch remote license
After receiving a Dutch online sports betting license last June, Vbet has now gone live in the Netherlands.
Currently, the operator is only licensed to offer sports betting in the Netherlands.
Last month, LeoVegas received the Netherlands’ 25th remote gambling license, Under the terms of its new license, LeoVegas will be allowed to offer both online casino and sports betting in the country.
At present, it is unclear when LeoVegas will go live in the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, Betsson has decided to withdraw its application for a Dutch license because of “significant delays” in the licensing process and resource allocation considerations, adding, however, that it could reapply for a Dutch license in the future.
Dutch influencers involved in match-fixing scams
Several Dutch influencers received payments to promote bets on “fixed” sporting events to their joint 900,000 followers on various social media channels, Dutch daily AD reported.
Prospective bettors were offered the opportunity to buy the results of supposedly fixed matches in advance, using various cryptocurrencies. However, no matches were actually fixed and punters who bet on these matches lost significant amounts of money, in addition to the sums paid to the scammers.
In response to the reporting, several MPs tabled parliamentary questions, including questions that insinuated that these scams occurred because of the legalization of online gambling in the Netherlands.
ICE to relocate to Barcelona from 2025
Barcelona will be the host city for Clarion Gaming’s ICE and iGB Affiliate conferences from 2025, while iGB L!VE will relocate from Amsterdam to London that year.
Barcelona was selected from a four-city shortlist, competing alongside Madrid, Paris and ICE’s long-term home, London.
The event moves to the 240,000 square meter Fira de Barcelona on a five-year contract from 2025 to 2029. The 2025 edition will run between 20-22 January that year.
GBGC CEO condemns misuse of gambling stats
The CEO of the Great Britain Gambling Commission, Andrew Rhodes, has published an open letter in which he condemns the misuse of statistics by both supporters and opponents of gambling. Rhodes in particular points to the misleading use of statistics to minimize the perceived harm of gambling:
“The Commission has seen misuse of statistics from gambling operators, trade bodies, charities, media outlets, sporting venue owners and others. […] Others have sought to rely on data which the authors have said is not reliable enough to draw those conclusions. […]
“Multiple individuals and organisations have misused problem gambling statistics to create an inaccurate picture. For example, it has been stated that '99.7 percent of people who gamble do so without being harmed’ and variations on this theme such as arguing that ‘only 0.3 percent of gamblers are harmed’. This is not true and misrepresents the statistics.
“The 0.3 percent figure […] is a percentage of the whole adult population in Great Britain and not of solely those who gamble as many have tried to suggest.
Upcoming events
The following event(s) may be of interest to the GiH community.
The 2023 Gaming in Germany Conference has been scheduled to take place October 16, 2023, in Berlin. Benjamin Schwanke, Co-Chair of Germany federal gambling regulator, GGL, will be the event's keynote speaker.
An estimated 15,000 visitors will attend the SBC Summit Barcelona, which is scheduled to take place September 19-21. The event will feature 450 speakers and over 350 exhibitors.
Netherlands Gambling Authority clarifies reporting requirements regarding online gambling advertising
The Netherlands Gambling Authority has clarified the reporting requirements for licensed online gambling operators regarding the contents and reach of their advertising, CasinoNieuws reports.
From July 1, stricter gambling advertising rules entered into force, including an obligation to ensure that at least 95% of the audience reached by ads for online gambling are at least 24 years old.
For now, the Dutch regulator has requested three separate reports, detailing operators’ advertising efforts in the months of July, August, and September.
The reports must include images or screenshots of all ads or advertising campaigns, as well as a list of all online channels that were used by the operator to advertise its services.
In addition, operators must indicate how they allowed consumers to opt out of viewing gambling ads and which measures they have taken to ensure that vulnerable groups are not reached by their advertising.
Finally, operators must reveal how they determine that at least 95% of the advertising audience reached is at least 24 years old. If it turns out that the 95% target was not achieved, operators must also submit a detailed improvement plan to the regulator.
The latter condition reflects the promise made by Netherlands Gambling Authority Chair, René Jansen at the 2023 Gaming in Holland Conference that the new advertising restrictions would not immediately be enforced with full strictness and severity.
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