KSA Amends Responsible Gaming Policy Rule

Article by : Milena Petrovska Jun 7, 2024

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The Dutch Gaming Authority (KSA) has published the new and amended responsible gaming policy rule. Deposit limits and real-time monitoring are among the biggest changes to be implemented, as are new rules regarding gambling advertising.

In an official statement on its website, the KSA noted that the changes were effective immediately, “with the exception of a few articles.” The amended policy rules regarding responsible gambling follow the Authority’s 2023 research into the interpretation of the duty of care.

2023 Research Showed Operators Aren’t Effective With Duty of Care

In September 2023, the KSA launched research into 10 online gambling operators to determine their effectiveness in implementing duty of care.

The research showed that the entities didn’t shape it correctly as they didn’t intervene in time when excessive gambling by certain clients was recorded. The case was the same with recognizing potential problem gambling behavior.

After publishing the amended responsible gambling policy rule, the KSA noted that the changes were effective immediately. A few exceptions apply, though. The amendments regarding deposit limits and verification obligations are set to come into effect on October 1, 2024.

The KSA noted that these changes would come later due to “necessary IT adjustments” and the fact that additional people would have to be employed to enforce the rules. So, operators serving Dutch players have the summer months to adapt.

Verification Implemented When Depositing Money

According to the KSA, online gambling entities would have to implement financial verifications for their customers. The idea is for the operator to determine whether the player can afford to play casino games before they can deposit more money.

For young adults aged 18-24, these verification procedures will be implemented when they deposit €300. Adults aged 24 and beyond will go through the process when they reach a threshold of €700.

If the online gambling operator deems that the player has breached its financial limits, it must block their transactions for that month.

Additionally, the KSA focuses on real-time monitoring and imposing preventive measures as soon as possible. The authority is set to implement stricter rules on gambling behavior altogether.

Gambling sites will have to intervene within an hour after discovering cases of potential excessive gambling. The process of analyzing player behaviors will apply 24/7, and as such, operators will have to be alert both during the day and at night.

KSA Announced the Changes End of April 2024

The new changes regarding responsible gambling policies were first announced on April 29, 2024.

At that time, the KSA stated that the amendments would be published in June. It also noted that some parts of the new policy rule would be effective immediately, while other parts would come into force in October.

KSA detailed the sections that would be in effect in October, including paragraphs 4, 5, 6, and 7 of Article 3.1.12 and the second paragraph of Article 3.1.13.

Hopes are high that the new changes will ensure a safer gambling environment, but the results are yet to be seen.

In some jurisdictions, overly strict regulations have proven counterproductive as consumers would simply play at offshore websites with flexible terms. Time will tell whether KSA’s move will prove effective or quite the opposite.