Player claims battle heats up in the Netherlands ...and more!

VIDEO | Arjan Blok, Renske Fikkers & Dr. Andreas Ditsche at Gaming in Holland

In case you missed it:

Nederlandse Loterij CEO, Arjan Blok discusses the number of Dutch players active in the black market, the government's new policy approach toward online gambling, and the challenges posed by the black market:

Renske Fikkers, Head of Market Supervision at the Netherlands Gambling Authority, presents the gambling authority's vision of being a “Regulator 2.0:”

Dr. Andreas Ditsche, CEO of iGaming.com, explains why regulation that drives players to the black market is not just counterproductive but also clearly unethical:

KVA asks Google to act against false copyright violation reports

KVA, the quality mark for responsible affiliates in the Netherlands, has requested that Google should act against false and abusive copyright violation reports.

According to KVA, the false reports and accompanying DMCA takedown requests are part of a coordinated attempt to limit the visibility of licensed online gambling operators and the affiliates that promote them.

Jacks.nl extends Kambi partnership

Kambi has extended its sportsbook partnership with JOI Gaming through a multi-year agreement, which will see the Jacks.nl brand continue to make use of Kambi’s betting platform in the Netherlands.

Besides Jacks.nl, six other Netherlands-licensed operators make use of the Kambi sportsbook solution, including market leader Unibet.

NEXT WEEK | 2025 Gaming in Spain Conference

Join us next week, on Thursday June 26, in Madrid for the 2025 Gaming in Spain Conference.

The event will feature a keynote speech by Mikel Arana, Director General of Spain's national gambling regulator, DGOJ.

Besides focusing on the Spanish market, the 2025 GiS Conference will also feature several sessions dedicated to the latest developments in the most important LatAm markets.

We are very happy to announce that Regis Dudena, Secretary of Prizes and Bets, at the Brazilian Ministry of Finance, has agreed to discuss the present state of Brazil's gambling regulatory framework.

Don't miss it! Register today: https://bit.ly/GiSC2025.

Other events

• iGB L!ve returns to ExCel London on July 2-3, 2025. Registration is now open!

• Don't miss this year's Gaming in Germany Conference on November 11, 2025, in Berlin. Save the date!

Player claims battle heats up in the Netherlands

Earlier this week, mass claim foundation KES has filed official liability claims against at least twenty online operators that operated in the Netherlands prior to the opening of the regulated online market.

As a first step, KES is demanding that these operators should hand over transaction overviews of all claimants being represented by the foundation.

Meanwhile, a public records request made under the Dutch Open Government Act has further revealed that the Netherlands Gambling Authority's enforcement policy in the years prior to the opening of the regulated online market amounted to something very close to official toleration of online gambling operators that were willing to adhere to certain restrictions – even if the regulator made sure to never publicly call it by that name.

Although several lower courts have now sided with the claimants in a number of player claim cases, the Supreme Court of the Netherlands is currently considering whether a de facto toleration policy existed and what impact the existence of such a policy should have on the presumed nullity of the contracts between players and unlicensed online gambling operators. The Supreme Court is expected to publish its findings by the end of this year.

Other news

Former Deputy Prime Minister Kajsa Ollongren has joined the Supervisory Board of the Postcode Lottery Group.

LeoVegas founder and longtime CEO Gustaf Hagman stepped down from the helm of the operator, after 14 years in the role.  Hagman will be succeeded by Deputy CEO and former chief technology and product officer Mattias Wedar.

As part of an initiative to further enhance player protection, the Swedish government is exploring a more comprehensive ban on credit gambling.

Six UK basketball players face potential lifetime bans over match-fixing violations.