KSA reveals 634,000 accounts created on licensed sites

The Dutch Gambling Authority (KSA) has released its 2021 annual report looking into how the regulations introduced on 1 April 2021 by the Remote Gambling Act (KOA) has affected the industry over the last year. The report indicates that as of 1 March there were 634,000 verified player accounts across the 11 online operators that have been granted a licence in the country. Roughly 17% – or around 108,000 accounts – were opened by players aged 18-24. It also adds that the KSA has processed 33 licence applications since the passing of the KOA. A host of international operators are poised to enter the market in Q2 once the cooling-off period imposed for accepting Dutch players without a licence expires. Given that the regulated Dutch market went live on 1 October 2021, the KSA revealed that Q4 2021 was the first quarter in which it could accurately reveal gross gaming revenue (GGR) for the sector. GGR was €185.5m (£155.8m) over the course of the last three months of 2021. Additionally, illegal gambling site use, which had prior to October 2021 represented roughly two thirds of the industry, has dropped steeply with users of licensed operators representing over three quarters of custom during Q1 2022. Furthermore, 2021 saw fines meted out by the Dutch authority total €2.2m, while 2022 will see a stronger focus on clamping down on operators offering illegal markets including betting on cards and corners in football. Last week, it was announced that since 1 October the Dutch self-exclusion platform Cruks had seen over 10,000 registrations. On Friday, 18 March, the minister for legal protection, Franc Weerwind, announced new measures that will end radio, out-of-home and print gambling advertising and restrict television commercials to 10pm to 6am.