The Gaming in Holland Conference arrived at a pivotal time following the collapse of the Dutch Government, as the threat of unregulated market engagement looms large in the Netherlands.
Even as political uncertainty reigns, it is increasingly vital that the regulators in the Netherlands take an impactful approach to combating the black market.
This sentiment was underpinned by Gaming in Holland Founder, Willem van Oort, during the opening remarks at the recent conference in the country.
He warned: “The Netherlands Gambling Authority currently estimates that only half of total online GGR is being realised in the legal market,” said van Oort in his opening remarks at the conference.
“In other words, of every Euro being spent on online gambling in the Netherlands, approximately 50 cents ended up in the pockets of black market operators.”
Additionally, he emphasised extra vigilance around the usage of crypto as a checkout method for players engaging with the black market, adding that crypto casino affiliates are securing lucrative deals and fuelling engagement growth.
Arjan Blok, CEO of the Nederlandse Loterij, the Dutch state lottery, also detailed his belief that channelisation remains under a degree of pressure as the lottery operator looks to continue playing a key role in discussions around the regulatory framework.
He stated: “Channelisation, and therefore player protection, is under pressure. Not even four years after the launch of the regulated online company market, €1.3bn is now floating abroad. As a consequence, we not only face very unfair competition, but most importantly – players receive no protection.”
To make the issue of player channelisation easier to digest, Blok provided some proprietary analysis from the Dutch lottery on illegal play participation rates.
“We estimate that more than 200,000 players are currently engaging with illegal operators.”
In its Spring 2024 report, Dutch regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) revealed that around 795,000 players were active with licensed providers in the first half of last year.
When factoring in these numbers, the Dutch lottery’s estimates represent around 25% of all legal online gambling, leading to a significant cause for concern about undermining the regulated online market’s growth.
Blok added: “The door to the illegal gambling market is wide open. The gambling authority is doing exactly what it can to close and lock it, and we are happy to assist.”
