Commenting on the regulator’s annual report for 2021, Jansen noted the number of players gambling with unlicensed operators had “fallen sharply.”
The Chair highlighted that 634,000 iGaming accounts had been created between the regulated market’s launch in October 2021 and the beginning of March 2022. However, he also acknowledged that people will likely have multiple accounts across several sites, so this number is not necessarily reflective of the market’s nominal player base.
But citing estimates that one million Dutch consumers occasionally or more often participate in online gambling, and combined with data showing a general suppression of illegal websites, the Chair considered the regulated market, thus far, a success.
“The addendum includes a graph which clearly shows that the legal offer has largely suppressed the illegal offer since 1 October 2021,” stated Jansen.
“That was exactly the intention of the Remote Gambling Act: people who want to gamble online should be able to do so in a safe, regulated environment.”
But while more people seem to be gambling with licensed operators, the time they spend on gambling sites has increased. Jansen attributed this rise to heightened media attention surrounding the regulated market’s launch, as well as subsequent advertising efforts from operators.
“The total number of hours that consumers spend on gambling sites has been greater than before 1 October,” he said.
“An explanation could be that the legalisation of online games of chance drew consumers’ attention to its existence.
“After all, in the run-up to legalisation there was a lot of media attention for online games of chance. And of course there has been a lot of advertising since 1 October.”
In response to this, Jansen said the Minister for Legal Protection Franc Weerwind had announced “far-reaching measures” to combat this rise in advertising, while the sector itself has also pledged voluntary restrictions.
He added: “It is too early to say whether the increased total playing hours since 1 October is a structural development.”
