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Ksa Uses Education To Stop The Rise of Illegal Gambling Advertising
By Shane Addinall Oct 05, 2020 LegalityFaced with rampant increases in advertising for illegal gambling in the Netherlands, the Gambling Authority turned to education rather than punishment... and the results speak for themselves.As the Netherlands moves closer to signing a new Gambling Act into law which will allow for licensing and regulation in the jurisdiction the Dutch gambling authority, Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa), has noted an alarming increase in illegal gambling advertisements.
Due to compliance signals, the Ksa was able to track a marked increase in advertising in print newspapers, online news sites and other local media which promoted unlicensed online gambling sites to Dutch residents.
Underhanded Advertising Tactics
These offenders were taking advantage of the increased hype and excitement surrounding the upcoming Gambling Act to trick gambling fans into playing at sites that had not received a state-approved license.
The most common online tactic is for unlicensed operators to post advertorial content with links in the content to their black market sites. These articles would appear to offer useful information on how to gamble safely or how key game types work while containing contextual links to illegal casinos.
The most nefarious example mentioned by Marc Merx, head of enforcement at the Ksa, specifically targeted at-risk players:
“We saw, for example, in various titles a piece about a non-existent national helpline for gambling addiction. The text contained a link to an illegal online casino.”
These tactics are not only scummy but downright illegal. The marketing entity behind the campaign stand to face legal action from the Ksa, and the implicated casinos could face a permanent blacklisting shutting down their chances for operating legitimately in the Netherlands.
Education Is the Key To Beating Bad Actors
The Ksa in concert with the Dutch trade association for local media, the NNP have taken steps to counteract this growing occurrence. Recognising that local media outlets may not be aware of the current gambling regulations nor do they recognise the articles as promoting illegal sites, deeming them to be informational only, the two organisations embarked on an educational drive.
The NNP took the wealth of information available through the Ksa and compiled documentation aimed at assisting media outlets in recognising advertorial content which transgresses Dutch law.
To date this approach is already bearing fruit with the Ksa announcing a marked decline in offending posts across the Dutch media landscape.
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