Dutch regulator happy with observance of role model ad ban

The Netherlands has been adamant about the way it is going to regulate the gambling industry. Through the work of the Dutch Gaming Authority, the iGaming and betting in market in the Netherlands are under constant supervision, which has resulted in better consumer protection overall.

One of the measures that the regulator has been pleased with is the roll-out of a ban that targets "role models." A role model could be any person or personality that is popular with gamblers under a certain age. This includes anyone who may enjoy some sort of public fame, including professional footballers, online influencers, and models.

None of them can appear in commercials by gambling firms as per a new ban by the Dutch Gaming Authority introduced on June 30. However, the regulator has made sure to act against two operators who have not fully complied with the prohibition. In fact, the regulator had to step in two cases where gambling firms continued to use the image and likeness of famous personalities to promote their products.

One of the cases involved a TV commercial, and the other one was a podcast. Nevertheless, the regulator was pleased with the resolution of both cases as both operators made immediate amendments. Only the state lottery and charity lotteries do not have to worry about the role model gambling advertisement ban presently.

The ban was at first disputed by some operators, but the legislative majority has quickly pushed the measure through, making businesses follow in lockstep with regulatory changes. The companies had some time to prepare as they were granted an initial grace period as well, hoping to make the transition as painless as possible for gambling firms that may have signed up contracts with famous personalities.

Advertisement has been a hot-button topic for the Dutch regulator. Back in April, the Dutch Gaming Authority said that it will seek more information from advertisement agencies that promote or work on gambling products in order to make sure that they are compliant. Overall, Dutch Gaming Authority Chair René Jansen has admitted that the Netherlands is doing that.

This, he said, has to be taken with a grain of salt, however. He noted that the country can yet learn from other jurisdictions in Europe and catch itself up on better practices that are part of other regulated markets.

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