Research finds minors able to gamble on illegal sites in the Netherlands
Trade organisation VNLOK not surprised by results as study reports illegal firms are not asking for ID at registration in some instances
New research has claimed minors in the Netherlands can gamble with illegal operators due to being able to sign up without needing ID.
The research was conducted by Netherland’s-based Quality Mark for Responsible Affiliates (KVA) this month and shared with Dutch online gambling associations NOGA and VNLOK.
It follows previous KVA research reported last October by Casinoniews.nl which found minors could gamble online due to no ID checks being in place when registering or depositing money with unlicensed operators.
To legally gamble in the Netherlands, players must be over 18. However, the newly conducted research found minors were still able to open accounts without using ID and could deposit money from a youth bank account or anonymously using crypto.
Underage players could also sign up using just a telephone number or email address.
The study also showcased that illegal operators were using the Dutch country code +31, making it extremely difficult to tell the difference between licensed and illegal operators.
Helma Lodders, VNLOK chairman, labelled the results “alarming” but said there was no surprise at how easy it is for illegal operators to target the Dutch market.
Lodders said: “The results of this research are alarming. We are not surprised that illegal providers target the Dutch market without any problems, but this research shows with what ease this happens.
“Illegal casinos allow minors to create an account without any restrictions, and deposit money with a youth account via internet banking or with the anonymous use of cryptos.”
All research has been passed on to the Dutch Gambling Authority [KSA], with some information being kept secret due to ongoing cases and the sensitivity of the topic.
Peter-Paul de Goeij, NOGA managing director, added: “These types of criminal practices seriously endanger minors and vulnerable groups. It also undermines confidence in the legally regulated supply.
“By the way, all of these facts are strictly prohibited by legal online providers.”
In quotes attributed to Casinoniews.nl, KVA founder Steven Vrolijk said “hundreds of thousands” of Dutch players end up using illegal sites found using search engines, and called for people to realise the dangers of the black market when it comes to targeting young people.
He said: “In this investigation, the KVA has exposed how easily Dutch minors can gamble illegally online with illegal providers.
“The KVA naturally does not have a high opinion of illegal providers. Yet even we were shocked by this: the option to deposit with a youth account from a Dutch bank goes a long way.
“We hope that everyone will soon realise how dangerous the current black market is. These parties actively target Dutch consumers, try to recruit potentially addicted players with a marketing strategy (‘Casino without Cruks’) and are therefore easily available to minors,” he added.