Posted on: 10/18/2022, 09:43.
Last updated on: 10/18/2022, 10:08 am.
The use of celebrities in gambling advertising has been banned in the Netherlands since the end of June 2022. The gaming authority Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has now drawn a first positive conclusion. She gave in one Press release [Seite auf Niederländisch] Most online gambling companies are known to meet the requirement.
In the statement released on Monday, the KSA explains that online casino and sports betting providers are now giving up on the use of role models from sports, music and fashion, among other things. As of June 30, companies are prohibited from advertising with people of any form of celebrities. In addition to active and former athletes or actors, the gaming authority also includes social media influencers.
As one of the reasons for the good record, the authority declares its preventive approach when initiating the player protection measure. A letter was sent to all authorized online operators two weeks before its entry into force. The impending ban on celebrities in gambling advertising was explicitly pointed out.
However, the restriction does not affect all online operators equally. Although bookmakers and online casinos are not allowed to advertise using celebrities, a number of charity and state lotteries are exempt from the ban.
Just two caveats
However, the introduction of the advertising ban did not go entirely smoothly. This was demonstrated by the two warnings that the KSA had to issue. As a result, after June 30, two online gambling providers still relied on the voices of Dutch celebrities in a TV commercial and podcast.
This is also part of the ban, the authority points out. After the warning, the notified companies immediately stopped using the rumors. For this reason, the KSA refrained from issuing a criminal injunction that would have been subject to a commission.
At the same time, it announced additional controls on gambling advertising:
In the coming period, the KSA will closely monitor whether gambling providers continue to comply with the ban.
The latest measures taken by the authority against illegal providers show that gambling companies should not take the KSA’s inspection of their businesses lightly. Just last week, state inspectors closed the online casinos of the two companies LCS and MKC Limited. They had offered their offerings without a license.
The KSA then threatened them with five to six-figure fines. Before these were implemented, the companies declared their voluntary withdrawal from the online gambling market in the Netherlands.
