The Netherlands’ government has put into effect a prohibition on most types of wagering promotions after several postponements.
On the first of July, the Dutch administration put into effect a restriction on gambling promotions across most media outlets, including television, radio, and printed materials.
The new rules also forbid advertising in public areas. This will extend to billboards, bus stops, and coffee shops, as well as the gambling venues themselves, such as casinos and slot machines.
Under a gradual implementation plan, gambling sponsorships of events and clubs will also come to an end. Sponsorship of events and programs will be prohibited from July 1, 2024, while sponsorship of venues and clubs will end in 2025. The new rules also impose new limitations on affiliate advertising.
However, targeted advertising is permitted in certain situations. This means that advertising on on-demand streaming services, social media, direct mail, and in online gaming environments will be allowed.
Regulators have made it clear that the goal is for over 95% of those viewing such ads to be over the age of 24. There is still a degree of uncertainty about how this will be defined, monitored, and enforced.
The Dutch Gambling Authority (KSA) has stated it will only issue “limited” guidance on the ban, hoping that operators will take the lead in this area.
The KSA’s enforcement approach…
The governing body stated it would notify the sector if the new regulations required further explanation. Nonetheless, the governing body cautioned permit holders against exceeding the limits of the law, echoing a similar warning issued by KSA head Rene Jansen last month.
The governing body had previously made it clear that it would adopt a cautious approach to enforcing the new regulations. This prompted some anti-gambling politicians to question Minister for Gambling Affairs Frank Veldhuis, inquiring if this was the most sensible course of action.
However, the minister defended Jansen’s comments, arguing that communication with permit holders is often more effective than penalties in establishing behavior.
Regardless, the governing body stated it would be closely observing operators’ response to the restrictions: “Now that the prohibition is in effect, the KSA is actively monitoring the implementation of the new advertising rules and licensee obligations in practice,” the governing body stated.
New Advertising Guidelines
In line with the implementation of the advertising prohibition, the Dutch gambling industry has introduced a new version of its self-regulatory guidelines, the Advertising Code for Online Games of Chance.
The code was introduced by the gambling industry associations VNLOK and NOGA months after the launch of the regulated market in the Netherlands, after the Consumer Association withdrew its support for the guidelines.
In addition to other rules, the order includes stipulations on deceptive marketing, restricting ad length to half a minute and permitting a maximum of three gaming ads per advertising slot.
Casino News highlights that the new advertising order adds numerous restrictive measures to the existing regulations. These measures include:
The path to a gaming prohibition
The Netherlands launched its regulated gaming market on October 1, 2021. In the months following legalization, gaming operators invested heavily in promotion.
Wierwind declared in March 2022 that he would tighten gaming advertising regulations, arising from his concerns about the influence of widespread gaming promotion on the Dutch public.
Following the Dutch parliament’s approval of a motion by Socialist Party MP Michiel van Nispen to completely prohibit gaming advertising, the minister pledged to follow this course.
In July 2022, the minister published a more detailed plan on how the prohibition would be implemented in practice.
Although the minister initially declared that the prohibition would take effect on January 1, 2023, the government postponed the date several times due to a lack of clarity on some provisions in the prohibition, ultimately settling on July.
The news arrives as Belgium is also taking action to prohibit all forms of gaming promotion, with its prohibition being more comprehensive in some aspects than the Netherlands.
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