Key points:
- More money expected to go to illegal gambling in the Netherlands
- The pair have encouraged more awareness to be made of Loket Kansspel
- VNLOK and NOGA believe improvement can be made regarding the Central Register for Exclusion from Gambling
Two trade associations in the Netherlands have raised concerns regarding the amount of money being spent on illegal gambling in the country.
This comes in the wake of the Dutch Gambling Authority (KSA) publishing its half-yearly monitoring report for the first half of 2024, which examines the state of affairs on the licensed online gambling market.
Licensed Dutch Online Gambling Providers (VNLOK) and the Dutch Online Gambling Association (NOGA) together have underlined that the report shows more money is expected to go to illegal gambling sites in 2024, and this is despite less players supposedly playing on these illegal sites.
Estimates show that, in the first half of 2024, 95% of players played with legal providers, compared with 90% in 2023; gross gaming result estimated to be going to illegal providers for 2024 is 13%, while in 2023 this figure was 12%.
VNLOK Chair Helma Lodders and NOGA Acting Director Eric Konings said: “It is encouraging that many people who want to play are able to find a legal provider. At the same time, it is worrying that players who opt for the illegal offer spend more money there.
"This raises the question of whether we are succeeding sufficiently in protecting the most vulnerable groups of players, such as minors, young adults or problem gamblers.
“We know that the appeal of illegal gambling sites is particularly great for these groups. And recent research showed that minors can play at illegal providers without many problems. These groups are now in danger of disappearing from statistics, while they deserve extra protection.”
