KSA clamps down on non-compliant Covid-19 marketing
Dutch regulator hands out 14 sanctions against unlicensed marketing from gambling operators
The Dutch gambling regulator has handed out 14 sanctions in relation to coronavirus-themed marketing from online gambling adverts.
The Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) took action after discovering marketing campaigns featuring terms like ‘corona-free gambling’ were being used to promote illegal online gaming sites.
In March, the KSA recorded increased incidences of advertising from illegal operators, with many taking advantage of lockdown measures that forced the closure of the country’s land-based operations.
At the time, KSA chair René Jansen said operators taking advantage of the pandemic in this way was “unacceptable”.
Jansen added: “We have even seen consumers lured into what is known as a corona-free offering. [It is] completely objectionable. The parties that do this, the providers themselves, but also their advertisers, can count on the KSA’s keen interest.”
In each of the 14 cases, the KSA imposed a periodic penalty payment as both a punishment and deterrent for the operators.
The regulator said in a statement: “The KSA announced that it intended to impose an order subject to periodic penalty payments. This is an order to stop a certain action.
“If this does not happen within a certain period, a penalty will be imposed. In all cases, illegal trading was immediately stopped,” the statement continued.