The annual Gaming in Holland Conference took place on Thursday, June 6, 2024, with René Jansen, retiring chairman of the Gaming Authority, as one of the keynote speakers. In his last speech as Ksa chairman, Jansen expressed his concerns about the increasing number of advertising bans for games of chance.
The Gaming Authority in the Netherlands is responsible for detecting and dismantling parties that offer and/or promote illegal games of chance. Partly due to various advertising bans for legal online casinos, the Netherlands is an increasingly attractive sales market for illegal online casinos.
“I have already expressed my doubts as to whether the current policy is appropriate,” Jansen acknowledges at the beginning of his speech. He continues to discuss advertisement bans, saying “We must enable gambling providers to offer a suitable and attractive range of games, so that a situation arises in which Dutch players no longer must do business with illegal providers.”
Jansen also believes that current policies are not being made in the Interests of Dutch players, with the number of players who gamble with legal parties expected to fall, spiralling from 90 percent.
Among all the speakers at the annual Gaming in Holland Conference, gambling tax was also a prominent topic, with concerns of sharp rise from 30 percent to 37 in 2025. This would make the Netherlands the most expensive EU country for gambling.
Finalising Jansens’ speech he emphasised the importance of good cooperation between the sector and the policymakers in The Hague, saying “with a viable sector, a high channelisation rate and intensive attention to illegal supply, together we can ensure that legal online gambling in the Netherlands remains a source of entertainment for almost all players.”
