The Dutch Government is still making adjustments to the regulation of its gambling sector after the mass legalization of gambling about 6 months ago has brought fresh opportunities for the license holders across the country. Since the Netherlands officially made gambling legal in November 2021, the country has been making slight changes to the already existing legislation in order to push the operators in the right direction.
Kansspelautoriteit, which currently regulates the country’s gambling sector has recently found out that a company failed to remove the autoplay feature, as it is required under the provision of the conditions included in the business’ operating permit.
Although the autoplay feature is available in a large number of gambling options, the Dutch gambling regulatory body has decided to explicitly prohibit it due to concerns that such a function could turn out to be too addictive and customers could be lured into spending more than they can actually afford to.
Kansspelautoriteit has preferred not to disclose the company that breached the autoplay feature ban but said it was addressed by a conscious consumer who filed a complaint with the country’s gambling regulatory body. The report explained what the autoplay feature is, as well as the fact that its availability essentially enabled the gambling operator to allow its customers to pre-set the spins. This, on the other hand, could lead to bigger losses, the report noted.
The Gambling Company that Violated the Autoplay Ban Remains Unnamed
After receiving the consumer complaint, the Dutch Gambling Authority initiated an investigation of its own, with the probe discovering that the unnamed gambling company had really breached the autoplay rules. According to the results of the investigation, at least three games may have been offering the autoplay feature although Kansspelautoriteit had made it clear they were not allowed to do so.
The country’s gambling regulatory body noted that all players should be given the chance to make conscious choices about whether they would like to continue gambling after being provided with the results of the outcome of a previous gambling session. However, the presence of an autoplay feature eliminates exactly this conscious choice.
The Dutch gambling watchdog has not yet imposed a penalty for the transgressions of the gambling operator but experts believe that a potential monetary penalty may involve a fine of up to €300,000. As mentioned above, it has not even named the company that breached the autoplay feature ban.
Kansspelautoriteit has so far been actively monitoring the holders of gambling operating permits that offer their services on the territory of the country and has issued written advice on several potential issues, including general companies’ policies toward bonusing and businesses’ advertising codes for live sports events. The watchdog has managed to make the Netherlands’ gambling sector one of the markets that hold the toughest stance on gambling but, still, it has shown certain leniency towards businesses because it believes the market is still adjusting to the new laws.
