Save the date | Gaming in Holland Breakfast Briefing – December 14
The Gaming in Holland Breakfast Briefing will be back this year on Wednesday, December 14 (subject to final confirmation).
Our first confirmed speaker is Petra de Ruiter, Holland Casino's new CEO. Other speakers will be announced soon.
Don't miss it. Save the date!
Netherlands Gambling Authority asks for restraint from licensed operators during FIFA World Cup
The Netherlands Gambling Authority has sent a letter to licensed online operators, asking them for restraint and responsibility regarding advertising during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
In a blog post commenting on the letter, Netherlands Gambling Authority chair René Jansen warned operators that a failure to curb advertising excesses could lead to a repeat of the public and political backlash that followed the opening of the regulated online market.
The political backlash also appears to extend to the regulator itself. During a recent Parliamentary debate, several MPs appeared eager to blame the Gambling Authority for unwelcome (but legal) behavior from licensed operators.
Netherlands Gambling Authority issues official warning to lottery operator Postcode Loterij
The Netherlands Gambling Authority has issued an official warning to Postcode Loterij over the operator's employment of a role model with a “substantial reach” among minors and young adults in its advertising between October 2021 and March 2022.
The Dutch regulator said it declined to issue a fine because of possible confusion over the definition of “role model.” This definition has since been clarified in subsequent regulations.
Games Global joins NOGA as B2B member
The Netherlands Online Gambling Association (NOGA) has welcomed game supplier Games Global as a new B2B member of the trade association.
Peter-Paul de Goeij, Managing Director of NOGA, said: “We are pleased to welcome another B2B member in Games Global. Games Global has built a strong reputation in the remote gaming market, and we are delighted they want to commit to our association. This contributes to our objective of bringing the Dutch remote gaming market together.”
Kimberley Broad, Chief Compliance Officer at Games Global added: “I am delighted for Games Global to join as a member of NOGA, further cementing our commitment to working with industry to ensure fair and safe gambling practices.”
Kindred reports 7% Q3 revenue drop despite “flying start” in the Netherlands
In Q3 of 2021, Kindred reported revenue of £277.8m, down by 7% year-on-year.
In the Netherlands, Kindred said it was “exceeding expectations” with 137,000 active Dutch customers bringing in around £400,000 per day since re-launching in July. Kindred CEO Henrik Tjärnström estimated that the business had around a 15% market share in the country.
“Thanks to our strong brand awareness, unique product offerings and an excellent team, we are off to a flying start,” Tjärnström added.
Stakelogic signs content deals with LeoVegas and Videoslots
Game developer Stakelogic has signed content deals with LeoVegas and Italy-facing operator Videoslots.
LeoVegas added Stakelogic Live’s network tables and gameshow titles to its live dealer portfolio in Sweden and all MGA markets, while Videoslots will provide its Italian players with access to Stakelogic’s classic slot games.
Upcoming events
The following event(s) may be of interest to the GiH community.
On November 17, the Juridische Hogeschool Avans & Fontys is organizing a public lecture on sports betting and match-fixing.
Event organizer Terrapinn has decided to no longer move ahead with the World Gaming Executive Summit 2023, originally scheduled for June 2023, thus ending a sixteen-year run.
Dutch Lower House adopts motions seeking to impose additional costs on licensed operators
Yesterday, the Dutch Lower House adopted four Parliamentary motions requesting the government to take additional measures to prevent gambling harm, strengthen enforcement, and impose additional costs on the regulated industry.
Two of the four motions request the government to submit proposals to improve the prevention of gambling harm and to ensure that the Netherlands Gambling Authority is sufficiently staffed to execute its tasks.
Reflecting the chilly political climate, the Lower House also adopted a motion calling on the government to ensure that the mandatory remittances of licensed online operators to the Gambling Addiction Prevention Fund (“Verslavingspreventieonds”) are “brought more in line” with these operators’ advertising spend.
At present, the Gambling Addiction Prevention Fund is on course to have an estimated €2.5m on hand to fund prevention activities or related research by the end of the year. Since the Dutch regulated online market opened, licensed operators spend an estimated €135m on advertising.
The fourth motion calls on the government to explore whether the proposed future lowering of the gambling tax rate from 29% to 25% of GGR may be replaced with additional (direct or indirect) remittances to sports and gambling harm prevention efforts.
While the adopted amendments would mean a significant increase in funding for prevention research activities, it is unlikely that this money could be spent in a meaningful way.
Pieter Remmers, Secretary General of the European Association for the Study of Gambling (EASG), commented: “At first sight there does appear to be a complete lack of balance between spending on prevention and advertising. However, not even the money that is currently on hand is being spent, partly because the procedure for requesting grants or other forms of funding is quite opaque.
“Of course, more money, if spent responsibly, isn't necessarily a bad thing. There are several topics, such as the impact of advertising on minors and young adults, an improved risk analysis of game types, and the impact of referrals to specialized care, that deserve serious study.
“However, looking at other countries, it is not clear that large amounts of additional funding can be spent meaningfully. For example, several years ago in Canada, the number of fundable research projects was simply not large enough to absorb all the money that suddenly became available. This, unsurprisingly, resulted in cuts in subsequent funding and a return to the status quo.
Other news
Global industry data consultancy H2 Gambling Capital has predicted that total gambling revenue for 2023 will be approximately $483bn.
Spain’s Senate has approved a new law on gambling which will introduce a greater focus on problem gambling prevention and further advertising restrictions.
French gambling regulator Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) has published new guidelines on welcome bonuses.
15-minute mandatory play breaks are far more effective in ensuring voluntary play pauses than shorter ones, new research finds.
Allwyn Entertainment is reportedly in advanced discussions to acquire lottery rival Camelot UK.
Affiliate outfit Better Collective is laying off 10% of its US workforce as it fails to achieve its revenue targets.