DGA chairman talks how illegal gambling fight continues

The chairman of the Dutch Gaming Authority (DGA), René Jansen, has outlined a new strategic plan to counteract the illegal gambling market in the Netherlands. In a blog post, Jansen spoke about some of the shortcomings of the current regulated market but said that bad actors should also be pursued in order to protect consumers.

Jansen said that the remaining illegal online operators must be fought. The DGA chairman assured that the regulator has already been acting in this direction. He argued that while the watchdog had focused on other aspects of the gambling industry, relevant teams within the organization were working hard to ensure that illegal providers are tackled first.

That began even before the October 1 market launch in 2021, Jansen wrote. Pondering whether the measures have been efficient and whether they have made the illegal gambling market disappear, Jansen said that this was not the case. However, the watchdog had something to show up for, including the fact that 200 websites have been investigated since October.

Many websites caved in to pressure from the DGA to cease and desist or face stronger regulatory action coordinated internationally. Jansen also dropped some of the inside knowledge that the watchdog used to fight the bad actors, going after the affiliate businesses which tend to promote them. Affiliates have been targeted with equal determination, Jansen assured.

However, Jansen acknowledged that there are some challenges to the way the illegal market is targeted. For example, an illegal operator cannot be taken overnight. The watchdog needs to carry an often long and complicated regulatory process and provide justifications behind its decision to insist on a website shutting down.

Jansen cited the most recent case of Gammix Limited and said that it took the regulator a long time to make any public action. He explained that much of the effective fight against illegal operators happened day-to-day through the work of the DGA’s dedicated teams.

Gammix Limited now faces a fine of up to €4.5 million, the chair assured. Jansen acknowledged that more needs to be done to achieve a market that is free of faulty practices. But it’s not just the illegal operators that need to take notice.

Jansen repeated that for the Dutch market to truly achieve its potential it would need regulated operators to ensure that they do right by their customers and help them always play in safe and welcoming environments. Meanwhile, the Netherlands is offering several changes to the laws. For one, the country wants to get advertisement right.

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