The Netherlands has been busy making post-launch adjustments to its gambling industry, from taking aim at offenders to fine-tuning advertisement rules.

Now, the Dutch Gaming Authority, or Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has appointed a new talent to its Advisory Council, with Dr Marloes Kleinjan stepping in to help improve the regulator’s understanding of mental health among young consumers. Her role is part of the Advisory Council.

Kleinjan makes a particularly apt pick as her expertise has to do with studying risk behavior, with a particular focus on young people’s mental health. She has further participated in numerous studies that specifically relate to gaming and gambling and how they may impact consumers.

Protecting Young Consumers and Striking a “Digital Balance”

As an advisor, Kleinjan will focus on particular areas, such as monitoring how young consumers interact with the regulated gambling market and whether this creates behavioral issues that would require regulatory action.

She touched on video gaming as well, explaining how children are often tempted to play certain games over a prolonged period of time. As a result, Kleinjan wants to find out if minors are sufficiently protected in the Netherlands, and her position would allow her to have access to various data.

Her remarks are particularly pertinent to the issue of loot boxes, a form of digital rewards that are distributed via video games in exchange for in-game payments known as microtransactions.

One particular area she wants to focus on is digital balance and whether consumers are properly balancing between digital and real-world activities. However, Kleinjan is fully aware of the positives screen time provides, including entertainment, education, social contacts, and more. It’s all about striking the right balance, she argues.

Meanwhile, the regulator is tightening control over how it monitors operators. Earlier this month, the regulator took an issue with reports that CRUKS-registered consumers, that is, consumers who have excluded themselves from gambling, were still able to access their gambling accounts.

Risks still persist, but the KSA has seen a shift of attention away from unregulated and offshore gambling websites towards the regulated market.