Dutch Gambling Regulator Warns Against Using Betting Rules as Income Control Tool

KSA chief backs stronger protections but says financial freedom should not be dictated through gambling laws

The head of the Dutch gambling regulator is pushing back against the idea that gambling legislation should become a tool for controlling how much people are allowed to lose based on their income, even as the Netherlands prepares one of its biggest regulatory overhauls since legalising online gambling.

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Michel Groothuizen, chair of the Dutch Gambling Authority (KSA), argued that the expansion of online betting has made gambling far more accessible than it once was. Smartphones have effectively removed many of the traditional barriers, making it possible to place bets at any time and increasing the risk that financial problems can escalate quickly.

That growing accessibility, he suggested, demands stronger consumer safeguards. But it should not justify a system where the government effectively decides how citizens spend their own money.

Writing on the regulator’s website, Groothuizen cautioned against turning gambling regulation into a form of income policy. While the amount someone can safely afford to gamble inevitably differs from person to person, he maintained that setting limits solely on the basis of earnings risks crossing into decisions that belong to individuals rather than the state.

Reform package moves through Dutch government

His comments arrive as the Dutch government considers sweeping changes to gambling legislation. The proposed package would prohibit online gambling advertising and bonuses, raise the minimum age for higher-risk online games to 21, introduce a single deposit limit covering all licensed operators, strengthen operators’ duty of care obligations and expand the KSA’s powers against illegal gambling websites.

Groothuizen noted that licensed operators already have a legal obligation to assess customers’ financial circumstances. Those checks form part of both responsible gambling rules and anti-money laundering requirements, and the regulator can take enforcement action when companies fail to meet those standards.

Even so, he acknowledged that some groups remain especially vulnerable regardless of income, making additional protections appropriate in specific circumstances.

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Proposal would automatically protect financially vulnerable people

One of Groothuizen’s main proposals targets people already placed under legal financial protection.

He wants everyone registered in the Netherlands’ Central Curatorship and Administration Register (CCBR) to be automatically added to Cruks, the country’s national self-exclusion register for gambling, for as long as they remain under protective administration or guardianship.

Cruks currently allows people to exclude themselves voluntarily or be registered involuntarily, with the minimum exclusion period set at six months. Groothuizen supports a separate government proposal to extend that minimum to one year.

Linking the two registers directly, he argued, would create an extra layer of protection for people whose financial affairs are already being managed because they are considered particularly vulnerable. He pointed to Belgium, where a similar approach is already in place.

Rather than expanding gambling restrictions according to income levels, Groothuizen’s message was that regulation should focus on those facing the greatest risk of harm while preserving personal choice for the wider public.

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Source: igamingexpert.com