Any party wishing to offer games of chance must apply for a license from the Dutch Gambling Authority. This authority, in turn, complies with the applicable laws and regulations regarding gambling.
In the Netherlands we also have an authority that supervises the laws and regulations on gambling, which incidentally only existed since 2012. The Netherlands has a fairly strict hand in (online) gambling, and for this reason quite a few tasks will fall to the Kansspelautoriteit. What tasks are these?
Kansspelautoriteit checks for “fair play
The main task of the Kansspelautoriteit is to check whether or not casinos, online and in landbased casinos, offer a fair game. For example, are there no underage players active, is there a Random Number Generator (RNG) present in the game and is the outcome of each game therefore completely random? These are the regular tasks of a gaming authority.
At the moment, our domestic gaming authority has little trouble with this, as there is not yet a legal Dutch online casino active, while there are only a few landbased casinos to be found. This is likely to change in the coming years with the implementation of the Distance Gaming Act. This will open the way for Dutch online casinos.
Timeline of the new Remote Gaming Act
Why is this control of a ‘fair game’ so important? When an (online) casino receives a license, this means that the casino is offering a sound game at that moment. For you as a player this is important, because it says a lot about the reliability of the casino.
Online, this verification is more difficult than in a landbased casino, so the gaming authority can play an important role. Of course you also want, after the license has been issued, to continue to have periodic checks on the fairness of a casino’s offer. That’s what the gaming authority is for.
Good online casinos
New!
Casino777
Casino777
Welcome bonus 100% up to €250
Jacks Casino Online
100% Welcome Bonus up to £100
bet365
Deposit min €10 and receive 100 free spins
BetCity
Welcome bonus up to €100 free spins
Our best bonus!
Circus
Get a bonus up to €250
Breaking laws and regulations
Another task of the Gaming Authority is to control advertising by (online) casinos. Only a small number of parties are currently allowed to publicly advertise gambling. In the Netherlands these include Jack’s Casino, Holland Casino and Toto.
There are also a number of restrictions on advertising; on television, for example, this is only permitted after a certain time (in the evening) in order to protect children. Also online there are restrictions on advertising gambling, although this remains a gray area. It is virtually impossible for a gaming authority to monitor and fine everything at the same time.
Mostly the foreign online casinos are currently active in advertising their offerings. They do this through various channels. On the one hand through paid advertisements, although these are blocked as much as possible by the Gaming Authority, and on the other hand through sponsorship of large sports clubs. These appear on television almost every day, and it is not possible for the Games of Chance Authority to do anything about it. Therefore, although there is a steering task for the Gaming Authority, it remains difficult to implement this one on one.
Safe and fair gambling
The purpose of the Gaming Authority is to make gambling safe and fair for everyone. One of the ways they do this is by awarding licenses, which are then monitored. When the rules are violated, a gaming authority can fine commercial casinos or first issue a warning. Examples of violating the rules are not offering a decent game or breaking advertising guidelines as agreed upon in the relevant country.
At the time of writing it is difficult for the Dutch Gaming Authority to fully verify the fairness of a game at foreign casinos. This will become easier once the online casino market is fully regulated, and this is coming with the Distance Gaming Act. On the one hand, this will create many domestic online casinos for the first time, and on the other hand, it will give the Dutch Gaming Authority much more ability to check casinos for their own laws and regulations.
Doubts about the fairness? You can report it!
Do you have doubts about the fairness of a gambling game at a landbased or online casino? Then you can contact the Dutch Gaming Authority. Although they mainly monitor casinos on their own, a complaint will cause the casino in question to come under stricter scrutiny. This way you have the opportunity to make the game as safe and fair as possible.