Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has voiced concern over the industry’s risk analysis measures put in place online.
The measures in the Netherlands are ‘not functioning properly’ and don’t offer sufficient and effective protection to players, according to a new study commissioned by the KSA.
A report published in early September focused on risk analysis systems currently employed by online casinos in the Netherlands that hold a license to determine whether or not the measures successfully protect players from harms.
Duty of care requirements apply to all licensed operators in the country and ascertain the level of risk associated with ‘high-risk games’ such as online slots.
There are five different methods used by Dutch sports betting apps for risk analysis such as Asterig and Gamgard.
The former was established in 2010 and further developed three years later, being publicly available to all operators. The KSA admitted it delivers consistent results but added concerns remain over its reliability, validity and applicability.
Gamgard should be regarded as a preliminary screening according to the KSA because only a limited number of potential risk factors are considered. Researchers poured doubt over its transparency as it isn’t publicly available.
The KSA said: “These methods originate from a time when the online market in the Netherlands was not yet legalised. As far as KSA could establish, these methods have not been further developed since the opening of the Dutch online market on 1 October 2021.
“Although academic articles raised concerns about these methods at the time, no new or alternative methods have emerged to date.”
The regulator discovered that in nearly all cases, licensees conducted their risk analysis by game category rather than for each individual game to cut costs and save time. Operators found that game styles within each category didn’t differ very much, which the KSA took issue with.
The Netherlands is undergoing a host of changes in the online gambling world. In July, it was revealed over 100,000 people in the country had signed up for a voluntary gambling ban.
Black market gambling is on the rise in the Netherlands following the introduction of strict deposit limits last year.
Joe Lyons is a betting industry writer for GamblingIndustryNews with years of experience on reputable gambling websites. Joe specialises in long form content in the world of sports betting and gambling. Joe is recognised as an expert in sports fields such as horse racing, soccer, NFL and NBA.
