Dutch Gaming Authority CEO to quit

The Kansspelautoriteit, the Netherlands Gaming Authority, announced today (Friday) that CEO Marja Appelman will be leaving the regulator after five years in charge.

Appelman will take up the role of Executive Director of the Housing Market Directorate at the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations from August 1.

The Kansspelautoriteit said that Appelman’s term as a board member would conclude in October, at the same time as chairman of the board Jan Suyver and Henk Kesler. A new chairman will be appointed on October 1.

Suyver described Appelman as an “inspiring” leader and added that the board would cover the CEO’s tasks from the start of August whilst a review of the regulator's management structure takes place.

The Dutch parliament’s lower house approved an Remote Gambling Bill in 2016, which will introduce an online gambling licensing regime in the country.

The bill requires approval from the Senate and licensing is not expected to commence until at least 2019. In the interim, the regulator continues to implement enforcement measures against operators targeting Dutch players and has announced that, as of 1 June, 2017, it would expand its approach to enforcement to pursue any operators that are “specifically and unequivocally” targeting the Dutch market.

Ahead of the Fifa World Cup in Russia, the Kansspelautoriteit said that it would crack down on online gambling by focusing on underage betting and identifying unlicensed operators offering betting to Dutch citizens during the tournament.

“My job is done,” Appelman said. “The organisation is operating in a way that makes it ready to expand its tasks. That will be the case if the Remote Gambling Bill is adopted.

“Both for me and for the Gaming Authority, it is time for the next phase.”

Picture Credit: The Kansspelautoriteit