Currently, 11 licensed operators are offering their services to customers in the Netherlands. Those operators offer gaming as well as online betting and follow the strict rules of the market. However, this is not the case for unregulated or black market operators. Consumers that use such operators may be at risk of becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft.
More Dutch Consumers Choose Licensed Operators
But the good news about the Dutch market is that more consumers are switching to licensed operators thus reducing the share of black market or illegal operators. According to CasinoBeats, Kansspelautoriteit’s (KSA) chair, Rene Jansen, recently revealed that more Dutch players are using the services of licensed operators in the country.
Jansen said that the switch of consumers to regulated operators is good news. He outlined that redirecting players to licensed operators is a part of the objectives of the Remote Gambling Act. Moreover, Jansen added that the increased interest in regulated gambling operators is also the result of decreased offerings by unregulated operators.
“An important preliminary conclusion is that many players who previously found their way to illegal online providers have switched to legal providers.”
Rene Jansen, chair of the Kansspelautoriteit
In fact, the country introduced strict policies and fines battling against illegal operators. This resulted in many unlicensed operators withdrawing their services from the market. Jansen stressed that those “providers decided to stop offering games of chance” in response to the strict policies by the KSA.
The Online Gambling Market in the Netherlands Is Bigger than Expected
Speaking about the Dutch online gambling market, Jansen said that it was wise to regulate it and the change has happened exactly when needed. Initial projections estimated the gross gaming revenue of the market in 2021 to €580 million ($652 million). However, GGR for this year was increased to €814 million ($916 million). This, according to Jansen reaffirms the need for strict regulation. He explained that the bigger the market is, the better consumers need to be protected.
Regardless that the market turned out to be bigger than expected, the KSA remains committed to enforcing the rules. In fact, only recently, the gaming watchdog has imposed multiple penalties against unregulated operators. Additionally, the KSA boosted its efforts against gambling addiction by appointing external advisors within the Dutch self-exclusion system dubbed Centraal Register Uitsluiting Kansspelen (Cruks).