Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Netherlands’ Gambling Authority, has fired a warning shot at social media personalities after issuing penalties to three influencers caught promoting unlicensed gambling operators to young audiences.
KSA has named ‘personalities’ Stiefunspeelt, Turcos and Buurtwachtt as offenders, after the trio used YouTube and Instagram to showcase their own play with illegal providers and encourage followers to do the same.
The penalties underline the regulator’s tougher stance since reforms to the Remote Gambling Act (KOA), which explicitly prohibit influencers and other social media personalities from fronting gambling campaigns or promotions.
Furthermore, any form of digital advertising must be targeted strictly at audiences aged 24 and above, part of efforts to protect young and vulnerable consumers. The KSA’s Board of Directors set out the breaches in detail:
- StiefunSpeelt (YouTube) was found guilty of promoting and directly participating in unlicensed games of chance, breaching Article 1(b) and 1(c) of the Gambling Act. The influencer has been ordered to cease all activity, backed by periodic penalty payments if violations continue.
- Turcos (Instagram “locos_turcos” and YouTube “LocosTurcos”) promoted unlicensed operators by posting direct links to illegal gambling sites, also breaching Article 1(b). The KSA has ordered all content to be removed and prohibited any further promotions.
- Buurtwachtt was similarly sanctioned for advertising illegal providers across social channels, with removal orders and financial penalties applied.
Each influencer must take down all existing gambling content within 48 hours. Breaches will trigger fines of €25,000 per violation, capped at €75,000 per individual.
Influencers under growing spotlight
The KSA said it has ordered its enforcement team to step up scrutiny of influencer accounts on social media, warning that repeat offenders and new cases will be dealt with “swiftly and decisively”. If influencers fail to comply, the regulator will escalate by working directly with social media platforms and tech companies to scrub illegal content.
“Young people must be protected from exposure to illegal gambling promotions,” the authority said in a statement. “We will continue to monitor influencers closely and act decisively against violators.”
The latest penalties form part of the Dutch regulator’s broader clampdown on gambling advertising and promotions, as it moves to shore up the credibility of the licensed market and stem the influence of black-market operators.
Youth protections prioritised
Incidents of Dutch influencers promoting illegal gambling providers are likely to stoke anxieties in the upcoming overhaul of the Remote Gambling Act, which is set to proceed ahead of the Dutch general election in October.
Outgoing Secretary for Legal Protections, Teun Struycken, has already voiced dissatisfaction with the existing framework, stressing the need for dedicated protections for Dutch consumers under the age of 24, deemed the group most exposed to gambling harms.
The Kamer continues to receive motions by political parties to amend Dutch gambling laws, in which it will review youth protections, duty-of-care of licences, and the application of controls on high risk games.
