Dutch minister defends online gambling advertising restrictions, claiming land-based gambling to be “less risky”
In response to parliamentary questioning, Minister for Legal Protection, Franc Weerwind said that the recently announced ban on untargeted online gambling advertising in the Netherlands would not need to be extended to land-based gambling, as the latter activity is “less risky.”
“Multiple studies have shown that the risk of addiction is greater with online gambling than land-based gambling, partly because online availability is 24/7 and there are fewer instances of direct customer contact,” Weerwind wrote. The minister, however, did not cite any specific research.
The proposed exemption of land-based gambling from the announced restrictions on untargeted advertising could make the new policy legally vulnerable if the greater risks of online gambling are not positively demonstrated.
Dutch gambling trade associations NOGA and VNLOK previously provided legal analyses which argued that the new regulations would “not be legally tenable."
Minister Weerwind also defended the timeline of the announced ban on betting sponsorships, which is set to enter into force in 2025. Weerwind:
“A sponsorship ban has far-reaching financial implications for sports [...] That is why a period of two years has been provided before the ban enters into effect. In view of the serious importance of addiction prevention and the special importance of sport, I consider this a short, but reasonable period of time.”
Playtech: “Holland Casino biggest driver of revenue growth in Europe”
In its presentation of its H1 financial results, online gambling technology provider Playtech hailed the performance of Holland Casino's online activities:
“Having signed a strategic agreement with Playtech across its full suite of products, and launched in October 2021, Holland Casino is off to an impressive start. It was the biggest driver of revenue growth in Europe in the first half of 2022, illustrating the significant growth opportunities of newly regulated markets.”
CRUKS briefly offline for new registrations
Due to a technical problem with DigiD, the Netherlands’ government-provided online identity management platform, new or amended registrations could not be entered into CRUKS, the country's national gambling exclusion register for a short period of time.
This technical issue has now been resolved, the Netherlands Gambling Authority announced on its website.
UK charity warns of impact of cost-of-living crisis on female gamblers
A study commissioned by UK gambling harm prevention charity GambleAware found that one in four UK women aged 18-49 who gamble expect to gamble more in the coming months due to the cost-of-living crisis, with one in ten reportedly already having turned to gambling to supplement household income.
The study also found that one in five women are already experiencing health challenges such as stress and anxiety due to gambling.
The findings of the study reveal the need for a specific outreach effort aimed at women gamblers, GambleAware said.
Upcoming events
The following event(s) may be of interest to the GiH community.
The theme of Kindred's 2022 Sustainable Gambling Conference, which is scheduled to take place October 19 in Amsterdam, is “Safer gambling: An honest conversation”.
Nederlandse Loterij signs 10-year sponsorship deal with TeamNL
Nederlandse Loterij has signed an agreement to become the main sponsor of TeamNL for the next ten years.
TeamNL is an umbrella organization of Dutch sports associations – except for the country's football association – which represents the Netherlands at most international sports competitions.
The 10-year sponsorship contract with Nederlandse Loterij comes in addition to the mandatory remittance of lottery revenues to Dutch sports.
With the announced ban on betting sponsorships from 2025 onward, Nederlandse Loterij has set itself up to become the provider of gambling products that is visibly most connected to Dutch sports for the foreseeable future.
Niels Onkenhout, CEO Nederlandse Loterij: “TeamNL creates togetherness and a country-wide sense of pride. By entering a ten-year partnership with TeamNL, we strengthen Dutch sports and contribute even more to a happy, healthy and sportive Netherlands.”
Arno de Jong, CMO Nederlandse Loterij: “TeamNL is the best that represents our country [...] and an inspiration to all. Nederlandse Loterij is historically linked to Dutch sports. We will make that connection even more visible in the next ten years.”