Kansspelautoriteit (KSA)

by

Adam Maclean

The Kansspelautoriteit, or Dutch Gaming Authority, was formed on 1st April 2012 with three core objectives - to protect consumers, to prevent gambling addiction, and to combat illegal practices. It is an independent body which implements and enforces the Dutch Gambling Act 2021 (KOA) on behalf of the Minister for Legal Protection.

In pursuit of perfection

The KSA states that it "strives for a world in which games of chance are reliable, providers are transparent and players are protected" - a noble cause indeed. To achieve this the authority has prescribed itself several statutory tasks:

To regulate the market - by granting licenses and ensuring that the conditions of those licenses are met
To supervise - by making sure that all laws and regulations are followed to the letter
To enforce - by taking action against any illegal gambling activity
To prevent addiction - by ensuring licensees are implementing robust controls and promoting awareness of gambling risks
To inform and educate - by making available information to players and operators and answering any questions
To combat match-fixing among sports betting license holders
To provide a way for players to exclude themselves from gambling

By the application of tight measures and strict controls, the KSA can be certain that only reputable companies can operate in the Dutch market.

Complaints

The KSA states that if players encounter problems with an operator such as operating without a license, not paying winnings, allowing underage gambling or partaking in fraud, they should report this to the authority. The authority will use such reports to determine if further investigation is warranted. However, it will not mediate disputes between players and operators, and recommends players to:

Discuss the matter with the operator directly
Contact a complaints officer or a legal advisor
Report fraud to the police

Once the report has been made, the player will only hear from the authority if more information is required. The results of any investigations based upon player reports can be viewed on the Your report, our supervision page.

How to check a license

All licensed gambling sites should display a KSA logo at the bottom of the page to show that they are legitimate, but it is safer to take this one step further and check the list of approved gambling licensees, also known as the Gambling Guide.

approved licensees — the list of approved gambling licensees

Information provided here includes the type of license held by the company and how long it is valid, the websites they operate and their contact address.

Responsible Gambling and Self-Exclusion

The KSA implements strict measures for operators offering games of chance in order to promote responsible gambling. They must create policies detailing how they aim to prevent addiction, put employees through mandatory training and make sure that information about gambling addiction and self-exclusion is readily available to players. They must also verify the age and identity of every player before allowing them to play, and perform a risk analysis of every game to assess how each may affect the chances of developing an addiction. Further to this, all operators are required to keep track and register the behavior of players, and report to the authority regularly concerning their policies and any measurements that have been put into place or updated.

Another check that must be made before a player is allowed to play is to make sure that they are not included in the central register of exclusion, known as Cruks. Players can add themselves to this register for a minimum period of 6 months, and will be unable to gamble in arcades, online gambling sites, or any casino with a Dutch license upon doing so.

register with cruks — the central register of exclusion

There two ways for a player to exclude theselves:

Online, via DigiD. This will apply the exclusion with immediate effect
Via a paper form. Ths will have to printed, filled out and posted, and the exclusion will be active a few days later

Once enacted, there is no way to cancel the exclusion for at least 6 months, and it will be removed automatically once the chosen period has expired.

The KSA also supplies links to the Loket Kansspel website, which offers free guidance to support people with gambling problems.