Gambling advertising severely restricted in the Netherlands

Gambling advertising has always been a sensitive issue in Germany. But even our neighbours in the Netherlands, after initially letting it slide, have recently been involved in heated discussions about it. In the course of a drastic escalation of advertising activities, they quickly put their money where their mouth is: gambling advertising is now almost completely banned.

In the Netherlands, a new law will come into force at the beginning of 2023 that will completely ban advertising for sports betting and other gambling in public places. This was reported by ZDF. The reason for this was an enormous flood of advertising during the last World Cup, which also affected places where young adults became increasingly aware of it.

The main aim of the amendment is to exclude advertising that is particularly noticeable to people between 18 and 24 years of age. When these young adults come across public gambling advertising, they are extremely receptive to it, as Floor van Bakkum, a spokesperson for the Dutch Jellinek addiction clinic, explains on ZDF.

Advertising flood after gambling legalisation

The Netherlands, like Germany, did not legalise online gambling until 2021. In the case of our neighbours, however, the focus was less on player protection and more on economic efficiency. The growing illegal market was a thorn in the side of the Dutch government. It was simply circumventing all applicable regulations and the tax authorities, resulting in a considerable loss of tax revenue.

However, the risk to players and their protection became a major issue soon after legalisation. At the time, there was a huge amount of advertising, which was largely unregulated. Many celebrities were recruited by the big gambling companies to promote their products. Football manager Louis van Gaal and former professional footballer Wesley Sneijder are just two of the well-known names. Some of the adverts even won awards.

Following a sharp increase in gambling problems among young people, advertisements featuring typical role models of this target group were banned in a fast-track procedure. From June 2022, such advertising will no longer be allowed.

Extensive World Cup advertising provides further stimulus

After the first drastic advertising bans in June 2022, the World Cup in Qatar followed. Gambling operators had adopted a new tactic for this high-reach event. In addition to other still-legal advertising channels, promotions were placed on websites for free World Cup betting communities.

The measures quickly led to the threat of fines. After all, the protection of young adults from gambling advertising had been a done deal since June. According to the Dutch gambling regulator, the Kansspelautoriteit, these people spend a lot of time on these sites and are therefore influenced by the advertising.

Procedures were initiated during the World Cup to amend the regulations. Only a few weeks later, a decision was taken and the additional restrictions were implemented.

Only targeted advertising allowed

The latest regulation on gambling advertising in the Netherlands will apply from 1 January 2023. Specifically, it prohibits operators of sports betting and other high-risk games from running 'untargeted' promotions for their offers. Advertisements and spots on TV, radio or in public places will no longer be allowed.

Conclusion

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