Dutch Authorities Eliminate Loophole Allowing Minors to Gamble

The Dutch government has successfully eliminated a problematic gaming regulation loophole that could have allowed underage players to make real money deposits and place bets online with certain operators. While no such cases were officially reported, the operators that had triggered the loophole acknowledged the problem and guaranteed they would fix it.

Netherlands’ Gaming Authority Discovered the Loophole

According to the minister for legal protection, Franc Weerwind, the country’s gaming authority de Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) discovered that some casino operators were allowing players to fund their accounts using third-party bank accounts that did not belong to them.

The KSA communicated its findings to the respective operators. In response, the casinos stated they would take all the necessary measures to eliminate this third-party account funding option. Weerwind added that no underage players had been actively involved in making deposits using the loophole.

The gaming regulations in the Netherlands only enable casino players to top up their accounts with money from accounts that can be easily traced back to them with no ambiguities. At the same time, the involvement of any third parties in making casino deposits is strictly forbidden.

Holland Casino Fixed Its Account Payment Issues

A state-owned company with a gambling monopoly in the Netherlands Holland Casino encountered a different type of problem. Registered players sharing the same last name were able to log into one another’s accounts and successfully link their own credit card details to other players’ accounts. The casino has fixed the problem since it was first flagged.

Dutch gaming regulations forbid underage players from engaging in real money betting activities. When new players sign up for a new account, their identity is instantly verified and established with the help of Citizen Service Number assessments. Dutch players are also asked to identify themselves every time they want to access their accounts with the help of their chosen passwords and usernames or by using other options.

In February, the KSA warned eleven casino operators in the country in regards to their advertising strategies that could attract underage players and young adults and encourage them to gamble online. After assessing the advertising practices used by all licensed casino operators in the freshly launched online gambling market in the country, the KSA discovered the problematic operators and issued them official warnings. The warnings asked the operators to change their advertising policies in order to prevent additional action from being taken against them.

The outlawed advertising practices used a child-friendly Donald Duck website, a YouTube channel called ‘TeenTok’, and a number of TV programs for families including ‘MarbleMania’.The KSA also informed consumers that illegal platforms and offshore websites will no longer be accessible to them, as a result of a ban on operators from foreign countries, the blacklisting of websites from certain Internet Service Providers, and other similar actions.