The Dutch Gaming Authority, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has released a legislative letter about amending a law that allows the use of false proof of identity to catch out operators. The KSA has also issued a fine of €400,000 ($428,000) to Bingoal for not following its regulations.
Gambling operator, Bingoal, was fined €400,000 because it had sent advertisements aimed at young adults (18-24 years old). This goes against the regulations imposed by the KSA, due to younger people being more susceptible to a gambling addiction.
The investigation began following a broadcast of the TV programme ‘Kassa’ which showed that between October 2021 and March 2022, the company had promoted advertising messages to users aged 18 to 24.
Elsewhere, the Dutch Gaming Authority is asking Franc Weerwind, the Minister for Legal Protection, to change the law to allow it to carry out its false proof of identity tactic. By making it law, the KSA can carry out the tactic more effectively, efficiently and will be able to take enforcement action against operators who aren’t abiding by its regulations.
The KSA is allowed to use false proof of identity to see whether operators of games of chance are complying with its regulations. However, a false ID can only be created and provided by the National Office for Identity Data and only with a legal basis.
The law does not provide such a basis for the KSA and therefore needs to be amended so that the regulator can use the identity data required to access the websites of operators.
The IDs would need to be replaced regularly to prevent operators from picking up a pattern and being able to recognise the regulator's undercover operation.
If the law does get amended accordingly, the KSA can provide a solid factual basis for supervision and enforcement.
A concern for the KSA is that its Central Register of Exclusion from Games of Chance (Cruks) scheme isn’t facilitating enough data to really get a grasp of its effectiveness, when it comes to the number of involuntary registered persons (gamblers whose family members or providers of games of chance have signed them up for).
