KSA Launches Prevention of Gambling Addiction Program

The Netherlands’ gambling regulator, the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), announced it will conduct a new study on gambling harm. The so-called Prevention of Gambling Addiction program, co-developed by ZonMw, will investigate the Dutch market and gather insights on how to deal with problem gambling.

ZonMw Will Research Gambling Harm

This initiative is a part of KSA’s regular efforts to better understand gambling harm and gain the needed knowledge to deal with it. A similar study on gambling addiction, conducted by Trimbos, a Netherlands-based institute, was previously published in December 2021. According to Trimbos specialists, the Prevention of Gambling Addiction program’s priority will be gaining an understanding of what causes gambling harm and addiction and working on ways to prevent it among vulnerable groups.

ZonMw will help the KSA research the local market and better understand gambling harm. The results of the study will be used to develop new treatment measures for people struggling with gambling addiction. To that end, ZonMw will employ a mixture of short-term and long-term projects so it can yield quick results while still gathering further insights.

These programs will be funded through the Addiction Prevention Fund, an official fund that was created in line with the Dutch Remote Gambling Act. The Addiction Prevention Fund is a conjoined venture of the KSA, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Health. ZonMw’s program will run for three years and will require two funding rounds. The first funding round for the program will begin in early 2023.

KSA Is Working Hard to Make Gambling Fun and Safe

The Kansspelautoriteit has been hard at work at regulating the Netherlands’ gambling market and protecting the vulnerable Dutch players from harm. As a result, the KSA has been unforgiving when it comes to unlicensed gambling and has spared no effort in extinguishing every single major offshore operator it comes across.

Since unlicensed brands don’t abide by the rules, most of them don’t care for the safety of the Dutch players. Because of that, the Kansspelautoriteit hopes to completely weed out such companies and provide local customers with engaging and safe legal alternatives.

However, fighting the black market is only half the battle. The KSA also realizes the need to govern its licensees and make sure that they follow the regulations. As a result, the authority recently launched a new investigation to make sure that the lottery offerings provided by licensed companies don’t lean too much into online casino territory.

A few days ago, René Jansen, KSA’s chairman, admitted he believes the Dutch laws are too lenient towards licensed operators.