Gambling Ads in the Netherlands Sky-Rocketed in October and November

New research by Nielsen points out that gambling ads in the Netherlands have doubled ever since the iGaming industry was legalized. Online casinos were given the green light to begin operating in the country in October, and as of right now, there are 11 licensed casino operators in the Netherlands.

Gambling Ads Numbers Went from around 170,000 to over 360,000

Nielsen is an analytics firm that specializes in collating and synthesizing information and big data measurements across numerous sectors. It currently operates in more than 100 countries worldwide, with the Netherlands being one of them.

As data from the company’s look into the Dutch gambling market reveals, in October and November of 2020, there were a total of 170,066 commercials on gambling. During the same period in 2021, the number rose to 366,631.

Some MPs and gambling experts have expressed their concerns on the potential impact of gambling on Dutch society. Arie Dijkstra, a health psychologist, stated that as an individual, he gets to see a lot of commercials about the industry that can have an impact on vulnerable consumers and ultimately lead to gambling addiction.

A majority of Tweede Kamer members are also concerned about the increase in gambling ads as they too believe that it can lead to gambling addiction. As for MPs, they are calling for stricter regulations around gambling ads. The government has been pretty effective in terms of regulating the industry so far, which is why stricter controls on gambling ads are a possibility.

Sander Dekker, the Minister of Legal Protection, stated that the concerns from Tweede Kamer will be taken into consideration but thinks that it is still early for a ban to be imposed.

Holland Casino Spent More Than $7.2 Million on Ads

Out of the 11 licensed casino operators in the Netherlands, Holland Casino took the throne as this operator spent around $7.2 million on gambling ads in October and November 2021. Holland Casino is owned by the Dutch state, same as Toto, which spent $5.1 million.

Next, FairPlayCasino spent $3.7 million, BataviaCasino spent around $3.6 million, and Tombola spent around $2.9 million for gambling ads in the same period.

Furthermore, as data from Nielsen states, out of the total number of gambling ads for October and November, online gambling took the most significant piece of the cake with roughly 273,000 ads, which is much higher than the number from the same period in 2020, which was 170,000. Around 88% of these online gambling ads appeared on websites, social media platforms included.

There weren’t a lot of TV ads as they could only appear at a specific time of the day. That’s the ban that Tweede Kamer suggested – banning all types of gambling ads before 9 pm.