Dutch gambling minister rules out “reversing legalisation” amid reform process

Teun Struycken, the Dutch minister responsible for gambling, has said he doesn’t believe in reversing online legislation in the Netherlands, but that greater protections are needed for consumers.

In an interview with Dutch newspaper Reformatorisch Dagblad,Struycken spoke at length about his planned reforms for the Remote Gambling Act (KOA), which he announced earlier this month.

Reforms include raising the minimum age of “high-risk” games such as slots from 18 to 21, a tightening of advertising rules and an “overarching deposit limit” to be enforced by all operators.

The reforms will come via legislation due to be drawn up by the end of the year, with Struycken telling the newspaper that “making good laws simply takes time”.

The Secretary of State also dismissed suggestions a total ban on online gambling could be in the offing, as he said that while individuals are responsible for their own actions, the state also has a role to play.

He said: “A total ban is not the choice of the cabinet. I also do not believe in reversing legalisation.

“A certain form of legal supply is necessary to prevent the supply from being completely limited to the illegal market, where there is no form of supervision and protection leaves much to be desired.

“A total ban in itself already carries the risk of creating an uncontrollable situation, because you are in fact driving people into the illegal gambling world.”

Struycken added that since the market regulated in October 2021, there had been an “enormous increase” in the sector’s scale, while problem gambling had increased in tandem.

On the role of the state protecting individuals, he added: “Let us state first: you remain responsible for your own behaviour. In that sense, I do not deviate much from the vision of my predecessors.

“Personal responsibility applies to everyone who participates in legal gambling, and even more so to people who gamble illegally. The latter group is deliberately treading on thin ice, because in illegality nothing is done at all to prevent addictions or the loss of a lot of money in a short period of time.

“Of course, this does not alter the fact that the government does have a task to better protect citizens against the risks of online gambling.”

Speaking anecdotally when asked if he gambles, Struycken referenced his nephews and nieces, who told him that gambling is commonplace among young people.

He said: “I hear that it is the most normal thing in the world among students to gamble or bet on the outcome of sports matches. My efforts are aimed at reversing that trend.”

Struycken’s proposals have drawn words of caution from the Netherlands Gambling Authority chair Michel Groothuizen, who said it was “naïve” to think young people wouldn’t head to the black market to play online slots should the age restrictions shift upwards.

The Netherlands Online Gambling Association (NOGA), the industry’s trade body, threw its support behind Struycken’s aims, yet echoed Groothuizen’s concerns over potential black market leakage.

The latest KSA data puts channelisation based on turnover alone at just 50%. Channelisation based on accounts is 91%, according to the regulator.