The Netherlands Gambling Authority has analyzed and reviews the impact of tightened player protection measures.
The KSA, or Kansspelautoriteit, the Dutch Gambling Authority, has released new figures. These figures at least partially ease fears that regulatory overreach is pushing players into the illegal market. However, the data is not uniformly positive.
Peter Rampertaap shared a measurement on channelling during a panel at iGB Live and included it in the analysis.
The research states that 93% of players in the Netherlands play only with legal providers. However, when pressed, Rampertaap clarified that this figure needs context, admitting that calculating GGR across both licensed and unlicensed companies is much more difficult.
According to the KSA report, there is a chance that heavy players now play with illegal providers.
Researchers carried out two studies to explore the effectiveness of rules introduced the previous year to protect players.
Requiring players to contact operators before setting deposit limits above €350—or €150 for young adults—has led to a drop in the number of users gambling with higher limits. That number has now fallen to less than 50%.
Other Ministry of Justice and Security imposed rules have also shown encouraging signs of success.
Limits on net deposits teamed up with affordability checks have led to lower average losses per player account.
While the average number of accounts per player has remained roughly stable, giving no strong indication that players have started mitigating restrictions through gambling with more providers, that figure has shrunk from an average of €116 monthly to €80.
The growth of the black market is difficult to quantify. Unlicensed operators do not readily share revenue figures or player data. However, worryingly for Dutch regulators, the search volume for the top 100 illegal websites has increased.
Peter Rampertaap, KSA Coordinator of Operational Supervision, led a panel at iGB Live to discuss the measures the regulator has taken in recent years. He also examined the effects these actions have had on the industry.
