GiH Webinar: Understanding problem gamblers – Monday, November 18
As part of the European Safer Gambling Week, Gaming in Holland will organize a webinar titled Understanding problem gamblers: Behavior, thought processes & effective communication.
This webinar will take place THIS MONDAY, November 18, at 14:00 CET. Don't miss it!
The aim of this webinar is to provide basic insights into the thought processes and behaviors that typically accompany disordered gambling. Using these insights, we will explore how operators and other stakeholders can effectively communicate with (potential) problem gamblers, the benefits of national gambling helplines (with a specific focus on the positive effects of Loket Kansspel – the Dutch national gambling helpline), and the implications for effective prevention.
This webinar seeks to provide non-RG professionals with the necessary background to productively engage with RG-related operational processes, strategies, and policies.
Speakers:
Annika Lindberg, counseling psychologist & Trustee at Gordon Moody
Nathalie Smit, CEO of Loket Kansspel
Pieter Remmers, Secretary General of the European Association for the Study of Gambling (EASG)
Don't miss it. Register today: https://bit.ly/GiEU_RG_Webinar
LiveScore Bet withdraws from Dutch market
The LiveScore Group has announced the withdrawal of its LiveScore Bet brand from the Netherlands, with operations set to formally cease on 29 November 2024.
The decision follows the planned government tax increase which is set to rise by almost a quarter from 30.5% to 37.8% of GGR. The relinquishment of LiveScore Bet’s license has been communicated to the Netherlands Gambling Authority.
“Unfortunately, the planned tax increase means that this market is no longer viable commercially,” Sam Sadi, CEO of LiveScore Group, commented.
Game Louge acquires Meneer Casino
Malta-based iGaming affiliate company Game Lounge has announced the acquisition of leading Dutch affiliate Meneer Casino for an undisclosed sum.
Martin van Geest, Founder and Chief Editor of Meneer Casino, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, stating, “Joining forces with Game Lounge marks an exciting new chapter for Meneer Casino. We are confident that Game Lounge’s expertise and resources will help us reach an even wider audience of Dutch players.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Martin and his team to Game Lounge,” said Richard Dennys, CEO of Game Lounge. “This acquisition aligns perfectly with our growth strategy and commitment to providing high-quality iGaming experiences to players worldwide.”
Dutch gov't: “No capacity to introduce differentiated gambling tax rates until 2028”
Following parliamentary pressure, the Dutch government has promised to consider the possibility of introducing differentiated tax rates for high-risk and low-risk gambling products.
The introduction of differentiated tax rates could also be accompanied by a replacement of the current GGR-based gambling tax with a stake-based tax.
However, the Minister of Finance, Eelco Heinen recently wrote to the Dutch Lower House that, due to technical reasons, differentiated gambling tax rates could only be introduced by 2028 at the very earliest.
MP submits parliamentary questions on unfair competitive advantage of illegal operators
Recently, a sponsored article promoting illegal offshore online casinos appeared on a local news website in the Netherlands.
This caused MP Rosemarijn Dral (VVD) to submit parliamentary questions to the responsible state secretary.
While not particularly surprising by itself, the questions betray awareness of the fact that strict regulation of the legal market (including advertising) could offer an important (and undesired) competitive advantage to illegal operators.
In that sense, these questions are the first explicit expression of support for the legal online market emerging from the Lower House in a long time.
Netherlands Gambling Authority imposes conditional penalty payment on Costa Rica-based operator
The Netherlands Gambling Authority has imposed a conditional penalty payment of up to €420,000 on Costa Rica-based Alimaniere Sociedad de Responsabilidad for offering unlicensed online gambling services to Dutch players
Following an earlier investigation, Alimaniere’s agreed to make its website time2spin.com unavailable to users based in the Netherlands. However, Alimaniere quickly established a new website, time2spin1.com, which allowed continued access to its gambling services, which caused the Dutch regulator to intervene a second time.
In related news, the Dutch regulator also intervened in three cases in which licensed operators breached new rules regarding gambling sponsorships.
Entain and former BetCity owners settle suit
Last year, Entain launched a suit against the former owners of BetCity, claiming that the latter failed to disclose certain regulatory failings prior to the sale of their company to the London-listed gambling giant.
The suit has now been withdrawn following an undisclosed settlement.
Save the date: The Las Vegas Book launch party
Years in the making, The Las Vegas Book, a 450-page luxury coffee table book illustrating the fascinating history of Las Vegas with more than 300 impressive photographs, will soon start rolling off the press.
The book's author, Joris Dekkers cordially invites Gaming in Holland members to the Las Vegas Book launch party on Monday, December 9 at LeCarage in Amsterdam.
Please RSVP here.
ICE 2025 registration now open
ICE 2025 will take place for the first time at its new home, Barcelona's Fira Grand Via, on January 20-22.
Over 50,000 visitors are expected to attend the world's largest global gaming event.
Registration for ICE 2025 is now open.
PS: If you are exhibiting at ICE (or otherwise participating) and need help organizing your tailor-made evening event, please consider contacting Sapyns: https://www.sapyns.com/ice2025.
Evaluation Remote Gambling Act: Player protection falls short
An evaluation of the Remote Gambling Act commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and Security has found that online gamblers are being insufficiently protected under the current regulatory framework:
“We conclude the Act has not yet contributed to such a responsible and verifiable gambling offer that it can be said that the policy objectives of the online gambling policy will be achieved in the short or long term. The policy has also led to a large group of new players, including many young adults.
“Based on the policy and current implementation practice, it can be expected, especially in this group, damage will occur because of the policy. This does not only concern financial harm, but potentially also great personal suffering as a result.
The evaluation also contains several recommendations, including:
Greater expert involvement to ensure better player protection.
Additional measures to prevent broader gambling-related harm (beyond gambling addiction alone).
The introduction of cross-operator deposit limits.
Additional measures to ensure that vulnerable groups are not exposed to gambling advertising.
The introduction of IP blocking.
Providing the Netherlands Gambling Authority with additional powers to go after facilitators of illegal offerings, such as hosting and payment providers.
Making cross-operator player data available to policy makers and researchers.
The findings of this evaluation will be the basis for a parliamentary debate on the Remote Gambling Act. Netherlands-licensed operators should thus prepare for additional restrictions.