Key points:
- The KSA has issued a warning to VriendenLoterij following its latest advert
- The advert featured a winner explaining how the lottery win meant she could afford her medical bills
- According to the KSA, this can be seen as targeting a vulnerable demographic
Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch Gaming Authority, has issued VriendenLoterij a warning after its latest advert was found to contain inappropriate material.
VriendenLoterij operates as a social lottery that supports charities, clubs and organisations that focus on people’s health and wellbeing.
Players can decide which charity they want to support when they play, with at least 40% of proceeds going towards the organisation. But, if they do not specify, the money will be spread across the 43 regular charities VriendenLoterij supports.
As part of its regular marketing campaign, VriendenLoterij will publish stories from lottery winners about the impact their win had on them.
However, a recent advertisement in question had a winner explain that they could afford to pay their medical bills due to the lottery win.
This has raised concerns as it can be seen as advertising to a vulnerable demographic.
According to the KSA, stories cannot talk about how playing the lottery helped with homelessness, medical problems, costs for a funeral or the payment of overdue bills.
This is because it could encourage people in equally vulnerable situations to overspend on the lottery if they’ve seen it as a potential solution to their problems.
Good to know: VriendenLoterij means ‘Friends Lottery’ and has raised €2.2bn ($2.3bn) for charity partners since 1998
The advert was published in a major Dutch newspaper, but after the KSA reached out, VriendenLoterij immediately took the advert down and has been assisting with the matter.
This marks a particularly busy month for the Authority, as the KSA has already issued warnings to seven other operators regarding advertising violations, which include unauthorised public display of branded vehicles and creative attempts to reference sports celebrities,
