Michel Groothuizen, Chair of the Netherlands gambling authority, is urging Dutch legislators to make sure regulations are not turned into an ‘income policy’ when it comes to the country’s gambling market.
Groothuizen has also issued a proposal to protect the most vulnerable in the country, asking for all people who are registered in the central curatorship and administration register (CCBR) to be included in the Netherlands’ gambling exclusion register, Cruks.
Income policy
In a blog post on the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) website, Groothuizen explored the current landscape of iGaming and sports betting in the Netherlands.
The KSA Chair noted that gambling ‘increasing normalisation and the ease with which you can gamble anywhere, anytime’, leads to concern, as ‘you can get yourself into considerably large financial trouble in a short amount of time’, whether it be with a legal or illegal operator, given how accessible it now is with the presence of smartphones.
However, he emphasised that the government shouldn’t be able to decide how the public spends their money and that personal choice should be respected.
Groothuizen stated: “Whether gambling becomes a problem depends, at least in part, on the money a gambler has to spend. Nevertheless, it is difficult, and in my view also undesirable, to conduct income policy through gambling regulation.
“How much should people be allowed to gamble away? Should the government be allowed to decide that for them at all? I am very wary of infringing upon the freedom of choice of citizens and of making distinctions based on income alone.”
“It is difficult, and in my view also undesirable, to conduct income policy through gambling regulation.”
Michel Groothuizen, Chair of the Netherlands gambling authority
These comments follow proposed reforms by the Dutch government to implement an online gambling adverts and bonuses ban, increase the minimum age to 21 for high-risk online games, centralise deposit limits across licensed websites, introduce stricter duty of care requirements, and broaden KSA enforcement powers to block illegal operators.
Groothuizen continued: “Gambling companies operating on the Dutch market are required to verify the income streams and financial capacity of their customers as part of their duty of care and to prevent money laundering. If they fall short in this regard, the Dutch Gaming Authority takes enforcement action.
“Given this circumstance, one could argue that this (generally) ensures that people do not gamble away money they truly cannot afford to lose. Nevertheless, there are certainly groups for whom one might question whether it is wise to expose them to a financially risky product like gambling.”
Cruks
Groothuizen also highlighted Cruks and how people can be voluntarily or involuntarily registered with the service for a minimum of six months. He supports the State Secretary’s proposal to extend this period to a year.
However, the KSA Chair also made it clear that the involuntarily registered people need to receive stronger support and is therefore proposing to include people who are registered in the CCBR in Cruks as well, for the duration they are under protective administration or curatorship.
Groothuizen added: “By linking the CCBR directly and integrally to Cruks, we offer optimal protection to an extremely vulnerable group. This is already happening in our neighbouring country, Belgium.
“I once heard an addict say that he was ‘glad’ to have a gambling addiction, because thanks to Cruks, he could keep himself relatively far away from temptation, whereas that is much more difficult with other addictions. We cannot close the door to the liquor store for the alcoholic, but we can certainly lock the door to the (legal) casino for the (future) addict.”
