Dutch gambling regulator targets illegal operators with new powers
Chairman also calls on operators to have “watertight” age verification ahead of new market
The Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) will soon have powers to issue legally binding ‘cease and desist’ notifications to operators illegally targeting the Dutch market, according to chairman René Jansen.
Speaking at a Gaming In Holland event in the Netherlands on Tuesday, Jansen said the KSA would use new powers to prevent payment service providers from offering services to illegal operators in a ‘no pay, no play’ style approach.
Following the news that the KSA would include age verification within its so-called prioritisation criteria from 2020, Jansen took aim at operators claiming it was “worrying and unacceptable” that age verification technology currently in use was not “watertight”.
“This is a very serious issue. If we find that no measures have been taken by 1 January 2020, you can definitely expect to face repercussions,” said Jansen.
Discussing the successful use of age verification technology by online sports betting brand Toto – a subsidiary of the Nederlandse Loterij – Jansen recommended that all operators apply similar iDIN technology for both new and existing players.
“Operators that fail to follow suit may well end up facing consequences in the short or long term,” Jansen said.
In his speech, Jansen said the KSA expects to process “a flood” of more than 100 licence applications from interested operators, with almost 200 registering their interest following the KSA’s call earlier this year.
He also confirmed the Dutch authorities would be working towards a channelisation rate of 80% under the soon-to-be-passed Remote Gaming Act, claiming it was the KSA’s duty to licensed operators to hit this target.