КSAsurveys 26 affiliate websitesUnauthorizedads are taken downTheKSA and the Netherlands prepare for an official iGaming launch
The KSA has surveyed a number ofaffiliate businesses, establishing irregularities in theiradvertising policies.
KSA Continues to Look into Affiliate Businesses
Weeks after announcing that theNetherlands would allow gambling companies to operate within thecountry, the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has said that it wouldgo after 23 online gaming brands that have been promoting casinos,poker and betting websites in the country.
This follows a recent survey of theaffiliate gambling industry in the country which targeted 44websites, looking into the specifics of each one 7BALL and whether they canbe allowed to continue operating. The KSA has spotted 26 websitesthat advertised to Dutch citizens and the regulator issued anofficial request for the adds to be taken down.
Reportedly, 20 websites complied withthe issued recommendations immediately with the rest only agreeing toafter the KSA said it would penalize the websites. While theNetherlands has taken a milder stance on gambling, the country’sregulator is still acting as a supervisor of the industry, notallowing any unauthorized advertising or gambling activities to takeplace.
This is not the first time that the KSAhas gone after affiliates either. Back in 2016 and 2017, the KSA hadto approach multiple affiliate businesses again, requesting immediatetake down of as many as 17 websites’ ads.
Commenting on why the KSA has actedthis way, the regulator released the following statement cited byiGaming business:
“Protecting consumers is an important objective of the KSA. Participants in games of chance from providers without a licence are not guaranteed a fair game. Nor is it possible to monitor the participation of vulnerable groups, such as young people.”
While theNetherlands is in the process of adopting gambling laws that wouldallow companies that don’t fall under the “bad player” clause tooffer their product officially on the market, Dutch authorities arestill loathe of allowing any affiliate business to incentivize thecountry’s citizens to gamble.
An Official gaming Launch and More Measures
Officially, thegambling industry in the Netherlands should launch on July1, 2020, after which the KSA will build a framework bindingfuture operators by certain practices. The Netherlands is one of thelatest markets in Europe to agree and allow gambling on itsterritory.
At the beginning of2019, the Swedish market opened up to operators, but regulators havebeen penalizing non-compliant licensee-holders. Meanwhile, theNetherlands have had quite a bit of trouble staving off internationaloperators which have been knowingly advertising to Dutch audience bytargeting the ads in Dutch.
The KSA has issuedanumber of penalties that have been challenged by some operatorsin court and ignored by others. However, the Netherlands is adamant,it appears, to not allow any such wrongdoer be part of its legalmarket once it launches. This could bite into the profits of someestablished brands.
Meanwhile, the KSAwill also work on a way to address problem gambling and theadverse effects of developing a gambling addiction.
