The Dutch Gambling Authority, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has officially announced on its web page that it will conduct nationwide inspections of slot machine arcades starting mid-December. As the regulator explained, special attention would be given to implementing duty of care standards.
As of April 1, 2021, the legal duty of care for slot machine operators has been further extended. As a consequence, operators were bound to take proactive measures and bring gambling addiction cases among their customers to a minimum. This could be ensured through the implementation of sufficient safeguard mechanisms.
The gambling authority’s supervisors will conduct thorough inspections of the operators’ adherence to addiction prevention standards, among other things. Once the inspection period ends, the KSA will recap the findings on its official web page, and where appropriate, underline areas that need improvement and amend guidelines.
The KSA also highlighted that instead of having a punitive character, the measures are designed to bolster responsible gambling practices within the Dutch gambling market.
The country-wide inspections of slot machine arcades are a testament to the KSA’s dedication to consumers’ well-being and their protection against gambling-related harms. The ultimate goal of the gambling authority is to promote a well-balanced gambling environment in the Netherlands through cooperation with operators and the maintenance of clear communication.
KSA Keeps a Watchful Eye on the Dutch Gambling Market
The KSA continues to keep a watchful eye on the Dutch gambling market. Betent was the recipient of the latest fine imposed by the regulator on November 30, 2023. The company provides online gambling services to Dutch consumers under the Betcity brand.
As per the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing Act (Wwft), gambling operators are obliged to review their customers’ transactions and report suspicious ones to the Dutch Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). To this end, they must abide by KYC guidelines, enabling them to intervene in a timely and appropriate manner, where necessary.
René Jansen, chairman of the KSA reminded that in May 2022, the authority had warned operators to improve their performance in respect of AML measures. Failure to abide by standards would result in sanctions. He added that as the market was “out of the start-up phase”, and “there are no more excuses for some things”.
The KSA inspected Betent’s KYC procedures to assess whether the company operated in line with the requirements of the Wwft. The regulator gave instructions to the operator on how to improve the processes and report suspicious transactions to the FIU.
A subsequent audit covering the period between December 2022 and May 2023 revealed that the operator failed to comply with the requirements for a large part of the customer checks. According to KSA’s report, in many of the cases, Betent did not require sources of income. The company failed to intervene timely and report suspicious behavior to the FIU. Consequently, the authority imposed a €3 million fine on Betent over failure to comply with the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing Act.
