Two Dutch operator associations have collaborated to launch a new reporting system to identify and discuss illegal online gambling in the Netherlands.
Meld Vals Spel, the Reporting Point for False Gambling is now active and accessible at Meldvalsspel.nl, announced last November 25. It is open to members of the NOGA or Netherlands Online Gambling Association and other licensees, partner organizations and professional stakeholders.
Users can report unsafe practices and activities on illegal gambling websites or apps. This includes a lack of player protection, offering excessive bonuses and no blocks on underage players.
VNLOK and NOGA stated that Meld Vals Spel aims to gain a better understanding of how illegal brands operate. The two bodies add that this will allow for a more effective approach to illegality, as well as the protection of vulnerable players.
VNLOK and NOGA believe that the portal will help highlight the risks of illegal gambling. It will also ensure that illegal operators face punishment. Meld Vals Spel will flag illegal activities to KSA or regulator Kansspelautoriteit, politicians, as well as social media platforms.
Chair of VNLOK and Eric Konings, acting director of NOGA, Helma Lodders, commented on the new scheme. She said it supports the efforts of KSA to stamp out unlicensed gambling.
Lodders and Konings said in a joint statement that licensed providers of online gambling have a joint responsibility to offer players a legal, safe and responsible offer. This often works well, but there is room for improvement. They are working hard on this every day.
They pointed to recent research from the affiliate compliance specialist Quality Mark Responsible Affiliates. This shows at least 270,000 Dutch consumers end up on illegal websites through Google monthly. The research suggests that these unlicensed operators usually target self-excluded players.
Lodders and Konings continued that many Dutch people still come into contact with illegal gambling sites and apps. These illegal parties actively respond to increasingly strict Dutch regulators by, for example, advertising on search terms like playing without limits, or playing without Cruks. In doing so, they specifically attract vulnerable players. These types of illegal practices endanger the safety of players and must be tackled firmly.
