New KSA chair: Illegal operators are the “pirates” of the industry
Michel Groothuizen claims the actions of unlicensed firms “beggars belief” in first address of head of the regulator since taking on the role at the start of July
The new Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) chair, Michel Groothuizen, has described black-market operators as “pirates” in his first speech as head of the regulator.
Speaking at iGB L!VE today, 17 July, in Amsterdam, Groothuizen did not hold back in his description of the illegal sector as he promised to work with other European regulators to push back against its growth.
Groothuizen replaced former KSA chair René Jansen on 1 July and praised his predecessor’s efforts during his stint in charge of the regulator.
Speaking on the threat of the black market, Groothuizen said illegal firms were trying to “stretch the limits of what is permissible further and further”.
The new chair said he continued to be “amazed at how far some gambling operators go” before delivering a strong-worded warning to unlicensed firms.
He said: “What strikes me is that there are not only illegal operators who simply choose not to serve our Dutch market, but there are also illegal operators who act completely lawlessly.
“The latter are really the pirates of this industry. Pirates who, moreover, don’t seem to shy away from anything.
“There is more outrageous behaviour: I was told by my staff there are illegal operators abusing the official logo of our organisation, surreptitiously advertising via Google Maps and ads targeting the very vulnerable group of players registered in the national exclusion register. That simply beggars belief,” he added.
Touching on what measures are in place in the fight against the illegal sector, Groothuizen talked up the KSA’s relationships with tech giants Google and Meta, as well as cloud hosting providers.
He added that the KSA was committed to working on a cross-border strategy in Europe to join forces with other regulators in Belgium, France, Malta, Sweden and the UK.
He said: “I thought that as chair of the Netherlands Gambling Authority I would have the power to have websites taken down, but that turned out not to be the case. At least not yet. Tackling illegal gambling does not stop at the border. That is why it is important not to let our supervision stop at the border either.”
Groothuizen also took the opportunity to follow the path set by Jansen in the KSA by pushing back against a total advertising ban in the country.
The proposal was put forward by Socialist Party MPs earlier this year and backed by the Dutch lower house.
The new chair confirmed the regulator was in discussion with the new right-wing coalition government over how the policy could manifest, although he made no reference to the potential tax hike to 37.8%.
Groothuizen said: “My predecessor spoke out firmly against that intention, and I would like to repeat those words here.
“To make and keep a licensed market attractive, gambling operators must be able to present themselves to players up to a certain level. Although we are now dealing with new ministers, our message has not changed at all.
“So, we will keep pushing this in our discussions with the secretary of state. We are keen on the regulations around advertising that have already been introduced, and their effectiveness.”