Dutch health body calls for ban of online gambling advertisement

The Dutch Association of Mental Health and Addiction Care or De Nederlandse ggz, as the body is known for its Dutch acronym, has called for more decisive action against online gambling advertisements.

Health body worried about online gambling advertising

Hailing the success of what has been achieved so far, by noting that the government prevents celebrities from participating in gambling advertisements due to their appeal to youths, the health body insists that it is paramount to enact a more expansive legislation that would in fact ban all online gambling advertisements outright.

In a translated statement on the organization’s website, Chairwoman Ruth Peetoom said: "But this shows how important it is to quickly impose a general advertising ban on online gambling. People, and young people in particular, are now too easily exposed to the risks of addiction."

Peetoom and the organization object to the way that companies have been using online advertising to attract "young people" in "all possible ways."

Advertisements have proliferated on platforms such as Snapchat and TikTok, with gambling companies offering "free money" to their target groups, Peetoom insisted and reminded that gambling addiction can have lifelong consequences that are difficult to overcome.

"Young people are very sensitive to stimuli such as ‘fast money’ and are influenced by role models. The online gambling industry also makes clever use of this. The younger people find gambling normal, the greater the chance of problematic gambling later in life," Peetoom added in the statement.

The Netherlands already prohibits advertising targeting young people and the use of role models to appeal to people under a certain age. However, Peetoom believes that these measures have not proven effective, as gambling companies continue to experiment with how to position their advertising, so it reaches more people and specifically young people.

Pushing the boundaries of legal advertising

This is why, Peetoom argues, there is a need for a general advertising ban on online gambling to ensure that young people are protected. She also did not hesitate to liken the marketing tactics used by gambling companies to those employed by the tobacco industry.

There are other data to take into consideration, Peetoom added, arguing that there has been a growing number of people seeking help for gambling addiction, a condition they developed after participating in online gambling. In 2023, 2,456 such people sought help for this.

In the meantime, Holland Casino, one of the country’s most prominent companies, is trying to rally support for a planned phasing of a tax increase on the gambling sector.

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