KSA completes first phase of player protection consultation

Dutch gaming regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has completed a series of public meetings on its proposed player protection regulations as it prepares for the opening of the Netherlands’ regulated igaming market. The final meeting took place in Rotterdam yesterday (April 11), following consultations in Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Utrecht and Zwolle, taking in discussions with gaming operators and suppliers, healthcare professionals and other experts. The regulator said the meetings showed there was broad support for its proposed consumer protection controls, set out in a consultation document that was published in March. However, the KSA added, gaming providers voiced reservations about how exactly certain measures would be enforced, and the feasibility of some elements of its plan were questioned. The KSA’s proposals would require operators to provide players with an explanation of how games of chance work, including the statistical chances of winning, as well as clearly highlighting the age restriction and problem gambling support services. Licensees will also be required to develop a player protection strategy, which must include limit-setting controls for players, covering spending, deposits and how much cash can be held in a user’s account. The KSA has suggested that operators could create a dedicated app to help players monitor their behaviour and spending. The strategy must also cover intervention actions for recreational, at-risk and problem gamblers, to stop their play from getting out of control, as well as plans for managing players aged between 18 and 23 years old. The KSA will now amend or adjust its proposals based on the meetings, as well as taking into account written submissions, which can be submitted until April 22. After this it will publish its updated recommendations. The development of defined consumer protection guidelines are considered a necessary step towards preparing for the opening of the Dutch market, which is expected to take place in 2020. This follows the upper house of the Netherlands legislature, the Senate, passing the Remote Gaming Act in February, after the bill’s progress had stalled since it was passed by the House of Representatives in 2016.