-
Casinos for you
KSA Issues Celebrity Advertising Ban Reminder
By Shane Addinall Jun 16, 2022 LegalityAs the June 30th deadline for banning gambling ads featuring sports stars and other celebrities in the Netherlands, the Ksa warns licensed operators not to test their resolve.Despite being one of the more recent online gambling regulators, only entering the marketplace in 2022, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch gaming authority, has proven to be one of the more proactive and level-headed of its peers.
While they are strict in their approach to regulation enforcement, no one argues the merits of their decisions. To date, their safer gambling policies have included removing the autoplay feature from Online Slots, cooling-off periods for players, cross-casino loss limits, and proactively shutting down unlicensed casino sites that target players in the Netherlands.
The net effect of these activities has been a provable drop in wagers at illegal casinos and one of the industry’s lowest rates of at-risk players.
The Thorn In Their Side
In May, we reported on the Ksa decision to focus on player safety in 2022. Many would consider all that the Ksa has accomplished in responsible gambling so far to be an incredible achievement. However, they are particularly concerned about gambling advertising.
KSA Chair René Jansen said:
“We expect responsible behaviour from licensed providers. Society can expect the KSA to monitor this closely.”
This statement was in response to their belief that licensed operators are not abiding by the spirit of their licensing agreement. When it comes to gambling ads, they instead choose to use the letter of the law to avoid transgressing their licensing agreements barely.
This belief has led many within the Dutch government to consider an outright ban on casino and betting ads in the region.
Celebrity Ad Ban Reiterated
Reining in these concerns, Jansen and his team have instead embarked on a campaign of addressing their areas within the broader advertising landscape that they feel pose the most risk. In terms of influencing immature and at-risk players, the issue of celebrity endorsements rose to the surface.
To address this undue influence concern, they have announced a ban on professional football players (and other sports stars), social media influencers, professional actors and even models appearing in gambling-related adverts.
The only caveat to this ban would be charity lotteries and the state lottery. These entities would be allowed to engage the services of famous stars and influencers to act as brand ambassadors and appear in their adverts online, on television, in print or on the radio.
The ban is due to come into force on 30 June 2022. The Ksa has warned its licensees that they will be actively monitoring advertising from then, and any brands that violate the order will face swift retribution.
You might also like