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The Dutch government has proposed increasing the age limit for high-risk gambling to 21+, following calls to address the growing concerns within the country’s gaming industry.
The minister for legal protection, Teun Struycken, announced last December that the government was working on updating the country’s gambling policies and planned to introduce the proposals by March this year.
In a report released last year, the government noted that initiatives aimed at promoting responsible gambling and safeguarding players from addiction were falling short. It also determined that the Remote Gambling Act was not effectively ensuring a safe and sustainable gaming environment for Dutch players.
Struycken has once again updated the parliament, announcing that the updated regulations will be ready before the end of 2025. He also said that the new bill’s aim is “to protect all citizens against the risks of gambling. So also people who do not (yet) gamble.”
The Ministry of Legal Protection is also the possibility of these regulations being implemented sooner. It includes plans for further gambling ad restrictions and increasing licensed operators’ duty of care.
Under current laws, gambling advertisements are banned in outdoor or indoor public spaces, as well as on radio and television. Operators are also prohibited from advertising their services online to anyone under the age of 24 and are barred from using influencers or celebrities for promotional purposes.
Age Limit for ‘Risky Games’ to be Raised to 21
One of the key features of Struycken’s plan is the introduction of a higher age limit for participating in high risk gambling, which includes games like slots. There will also be an overarching deposit limit, and new advertising rules will allow ads that ‘severely limit’ the appeal of online gambling.
Last October, the Dutch regulator established monthly deposit limits of $777 for users aged 25 and older, and $325 for those under 25, while allowing players the option to increase their limits. However, under the new legislation, users will be required to undergo a financial capacity assessment before they can raise their monthly deposit limits.
The Gambling Authority (Kansspelautoriteit) will also be granted additional power to counter illegal gambling and the supervision of regulated platforms. Struycken also said he plans to seek advice from European policymakers on how to effectively combat illegal gambling activities.
“For me, the most important starting point is protecting all citizens from gambling-related harm,” he said. “In doing so, I go beyond preventing addiction and also look at other harm that participation in gambling can cause, such as debts.
“It is necessary to protect all people, especially those who have not yet come into contact with gambling or who have stopped gambling. In doing so, I focus in particular on minors and young adults.”
Positive Trends, But More Work to be Done
According to a study released last Friday (Feb 14), the deposit limits imposed by the KSA last year have yielded some pretty positive trends.
Reports show that in the four months after the measure was introduced, players depositing more than the required limit fell overall from 9.7% to 3.8%. The drop was even bigger for young adults, which fell 12% to 2.8%. There was also a notable decline in the average loss per player account, which dropped from €117 to €83.
However, the regulator did admit that there was a possibility that some of the high stakes gamblers have switched to illegal operators. Since the limits were announced, regulated operators have seen their gross gaming revenue drop by 10%.
The Scientific Research and Data Centre (WODC) also released a report in January, which found that only 1% of gamblers in the country were categorized as high risk, but the figure did skyrocket to 18% for young adults with personal accounts.
Struycken has said that more work needs to be done, and he was paying special attention to minors and young adults, who are more likely to adopt harmful gambling behaviors, according to the WODC.
Source: iGamingBusiness
