TRAFFIC & STRATEGY
Orange overhaul : Dutch state of play
Netherlands ’ road to a regulated online gambling market took nearly two decades until it launched in October 2021 and has resulted in a myriad of challenges . Frank Op de Woerd dives into a recent evaluation of the market ’ s regulation to see where the market is now and where it ’ s headed next
When drafting the Remote Gambling Act to regulate online gambling in the Netherlands , it was agreed that the law would be evaluated after three years . Typically , laws in the Netherlands are reviewed after five years but , with the risks of gambling addiction in mind , authorities decided the review should be brought forward by two years .
This evaluation was published in early November 2024 . Nearly 200 pages long , the document is filled with critical notes and numerous concrete recommendations for the industry and policymakers .
The researchers who evaluated the law began with a series of caveats . They emphasised that an impact assessment after three years is not entirely feasible , as the consequences of excessive gambling only become apparent much later .
Moreover , an accurate baseline measurement could not be made , making comparisons difficult .
Finally , the researchers noted that various policy changes had been made since the gambling market opened , such as the ban on role models being used in advertising from June 2022 , the prohibition on untargeted advertising from July 2023 and the introduction of play limits from October 2024 . This complicates an evaluation of the law itself , as significant amendments to the text occurred in the interim .
Despite these considerations , the researchers still identified a series of pain points and recommendations . The core issue lies in a fundamental flaw in the law that has created a much larger problem : the law stipulates that the duty of care for players lies with the gambling sites themselves . The
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