Marja Appelman steps down as head of Dutch Gambling Authority
CEO leaves after five years in the role, declaring her “job is done”
Marja Appelman, the chief executive of the Dutch Gambling Authority, the Kansspelautoriteit, has announced that she will step down on 1st August, after five years in the role.
Appelman has confirmed that she will take up the post of executive director of the Housing Market Directorate at the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations.
She has led the regulator since its founding in 2012, and was primarily tasked with achieving its public goals of consumer protection, preventing gambling addiction and combatting illegal gambling. In a short statement, referencing the achievement of these objectives, Appelman said: “My job is done.”
Appelman has presided over a grey Dutch online gambling market, enforcing a strict regulatory regime designed to protect players in the Netherlands from unlicensed operators.
This has led to a number of issues with operators and internet service providers, most notably Betsson who contested the implementation of stringent rules governing the use of online gaming sites in a high profile legal battle at The Hague. The claim was later dismissed by the court.
No immediate successor to Marja Appelman has been named, with the Kansspelautoriteit board of directors confirming that it will assume all directorial duties from 1st August until 1st October when the terms of chairman Jan Suyver, vice chair Henk Kesler and fellow board member Joop Pot expire.
Kansspelautoriteit chairman Jan Suyver called Appelman an “inspiring director” adding: “This is a sensitive loss for the Gaming Authority as a whole. This applies in particular to the board of directors.
“We have worked together in a pleasant and constructive manner. In doing so, Marja Appelman provided a pleasant working atmosphere with an eye for the individual development of the employees. We are going to miss her. She will undoubtedly fulfil her new role with as much energy and passion.”
Appelman has also served as chair of the pan-European Gaming Regulators European Forum (GREF) for the last year, having previously occupied the vice-chairperson’s role since 2016.
During her recent keynote address at the recent Euromat Summit, she called for a broad dialogue amongst GREF members and a multidisciplinary approach that “will ensure that we will achieve solutions that are good for both regulators and operators”.
GREF has confirmed its vice-chair, ARJEL’s Claire Pinson, will assume all Appelman’s responsibilities until the next GREF annual meeting in 2019.