Dutch Gambling Authority adds age verification to ‘prioritisation criteria’

The Dutch Gambling Authority (KSA) has added the need for “functional age verification software” to its prioritisation criteria, effective 1 January 2020.

Operators which do not have such software in place can be investigated by the KSA and potentially sanctioned under current Dutch regulatory procedures.

From 2020 players will be required to present verification documentation before any online gambling can occur.

This period had initially been expected to be 30 days, but was reduced due to the increased risk of minors gambling online in this period.

The move comes after a 2017 investigation by the KSA found underage players were able to access Dutch online sports betting brand Toto, which is a subsidiary of the Nederlandse Loterij.

Communicating the investigation’s findings in a letter to the Dutch parliament, minister of justice Sander Dekker confirmed the operator has since instituted a new marketing campaign aimed at discouraging underage players, together with several other measures.

Dekker revealed that in the two years since, Toto has introduced iDIN identity verification checking software into its back-office systems and verification documentation deadlines, after which players’ access is blocked.

Current prioritisation criteria include the use of a .nl domain name, Dutch facing symbols such as tulips and windmills and the use of the Dutch language in operator websites.

A fourth criteria to include the use of the iDEAL payment method was added earlier this year.

Any operator who is deemed to be subject to any of these criteria can be sanctioned, and all sanctioned operators will be barred from applying for a Dutch egaming licence for a period of two years.

Earlier this week, the timetable for the commencement of the Dutch egaming market was pushed back to 1 July 2021 following the KSA’s declaration that the Remote Gambling Act would not enter into force until January 2020.