KSA’s Jansen Asked Operators to Protect Their Users

The chairman of the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), René Jansen, has reprimanded operators for not diligently protecting their customers from harm. He warned that failure to comply may eventually result in tougher restrictions.

The KSA Asked Operators to Care for Their Customers

The chairman of the Netherlands’ gambling regulator made this announcement during a speech at the Gaming in Holland conference. He spoke about how crucial safe gaming is to the local ecosystem. Jansen also warned that the government will intervene if gambling companies do not do enough to protect their players.

The Dutch regulator might be strict but the current rules are much less restrictive than those in other regulated jurisdictions. Many markets opt to bind companies with obligatory deposit and loss limits. The KSA, on the other hand, allows players to set their own limits. Despite that, the authority is ever-watchful and expects operators to be reasonable and protect high-risk players from harm.  

The Netherlands’ way of dealing with problem gamblers is requiring companies to carefully monitor all of their customers. Operators are required to keep risk profiles of their users and intervene if a player exhibits unhealthy gaming behavior. This, according to Jansen, is more than an administrative obligation and is something that all companies should genuinely care about.

If Operators Exploit the System, the System Will Become Stricter

Because of the more flexible rules, however, certain operators have been exploiting the system, much to the dismay of the KSA. The regulator believes that some companies are not doing their best when it comes to protecting customers. Therefore, it warned that “government intervention is lurking.”

Jansen also announced that the KSA will intensify the supervision of its licensees. Until now, the regulator has only checked companies’ plans for preventing problem gambling. As of now, the authority will instead focus on having companies follow these plans and have them do more to protect gamblers.

Jansen’s final statement warned operators that the KSA will not hesitate to intervene immediately if it deems that an operator is not complying with the “duty of care.”  

The KSA Continues to Be Watchful

On a separate note, the KSA recently issued warnings to 50 affiliate websites, reminding them that they are also required to follow the country’s regulations. The authority was unhappy that some affiliates would bait people into visiting an operator’s website even if that was not the customer’s intention. Even worse, many affiliates post vague ads that do not make clear enough what site they are referring to.

Earlier, the KSA investigated gambling machines in the country and found out that certain operators were not obeying the attendance permit requirements issued by municipal authorities.