There has not been a large increase in new customers who did not participate in online games of chance in the Dutch online gambling market since its opening.
This is according to the Online Gambling Barometer, an annual survey of the Dutch online gambling market conducted by Ipsos on behalf of the Netherlands Online Gambling Association.
The data shown in the report revealed that the number of Dutch people who have played online in the past 12 months has remained the same in comparison to the previous year, which is around 11 per cent of the adult population in the Netherlands.
Peter-Paul de Goeij, Director of NOGA, the industry association of online gambling providers, reacted: “The Online Gambling Barometer of Ipsos provides useful insights every year. It appears that the channelling of players towards the legal offer is well underway.
“We must, however, do everything in our power to keep the 78 per cent of the players who have already been channelled to the local licensed offer, and to make the last 22 per cent that still gamble illegally, choose licensed providers.
“The Barometer also shows that five per cent of the Dutch population belongs to the risk group for gambling problems, and among young adults this is eight per cent. It is this group that we must protect as much as possible against the risks that are inherent to gambling. This is only possible if they gamble with providers with a Dutch licence.
“Advertising is irritating, but it helps to achieve this goal – especially if it becomes even clearer that only legal providers are allowed to advertise.”
As de Goeij stated, of the Dutch players who have played online since October 1, 2021, 78 per cent have only so with providers licensed in the Netherlands. This means that people in the country who previously played online anyway, now largely do so in a ‘safe and responsible environment’.
Moreover, the report indicated that visits to illegal gambling sites, without a licence from the Netherlands Gamling Authority – Kansspelautoriteit – have “decreased drastically”.
The new edition of the Online Gambling Barometer, which was published in full on the NOGA site, also shows that since October 1, 2021, the Dutch are seeing a lot of online gambling advertisements on television.
A large part of the Netherlands is said to “welcome far-reaching restrictions on gambling advertising”. There is support for measures such as not allowing advertisements with famous sportsmen or role models, allowing TV advertisements only after 9pm CET hours in the evening, and a ban on advertisements directed at young people and vulnerable groups.
Finally, it appears that most players find playing at an illegal site risky, but 70 per cent of them do not know how to distinguish a Dutch-licensed provider from an illegal one.