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Meld Vals Spel launched to aid KSA’s efforts to regulate the Dutch online gambling market, with a new portal available to all stakeholders.

The Netherlands Online Gambling Association(NOGA) and Vergunde Nederlandse Online Kansspelaanbieders(VNLOK) have partnered to launch a new reporting tool, Meld Vals Spel– the “Reporting Fraudulent Gambling” portal, aimed at tackling illegal online casino gambling in the Netherlands.

Meld Vals Spel has been launched to help the KSA in its efforts to regulate Dutch online casinos and its gambling market overall, with the new portal available to all licence holders and partner associations.

The portal allows stakeholders to report illegal gambling practices, such as the lack of player protection, excessive bonuses and failure to block underage players. The aim is to share all information collected with the Dutch gambling regulator, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), to hold violators accountable.

The aim of the Meld Vals Spel

Meld Vals Spel aims to gain a clearer understanding of how illegal brands operate within the Dutch online gambling market.

According to VNLOK and NOGA, the portal will allow for a more effective approach to illegality and enhance the protection of vulnerable players. They believe the portal will highlight the risks of illegal online gambling platforms and ensure illicit operators are punished.

Meld Vals Spel will act according to the gambling regulations in the Netherlands and will flag illegal activitiesto the regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), politicians and social media platforms.

KSA’s efforts to eradicate unlicensed gambling

VNLOK and NOGA said they support the KSA’s efforts to stamp out unlicensed gambling, adding that licensed providers of online gambling had a duty to offer players at online casinos and other gambling enterprises a safe, legal and responsible service.

Recent research from affiliate compliance specialist Quality Mark Responsible Affiliates showed at least 270,000 Dutch consumersend up on illegal casinos via Google every month, with these unlicensed operators often targeting self-excluded players.

Illegal operators actively respond to increasingly strict Dutch regulations by various means, such as advertising on search terms like ‘playing without limits’ or ‘playing without Cruks’ to specifically attract vulnerable players. They often reach these players through domain cloaking.

Domain cloakingin the Dutch online gambling market is the practice of disguising the true identity of a website’s domain nameto mislead users or circumvent regulations. This can be done by using a different domain name than the one that is actually being accessed, or by redirecting usersto a different website once they have clicked on a link.

The Dutch Remote Gambling Act(KOA) prohibits the use of domain cloaking to mislead consumers or circumvent regulations, and if guilty of such infringement, the operator could face penalties, including fines and the suspension or revocationof their licence. In addition, the KSA may also take action against the hosting provider of the website.

Reporting centre activity to date

The Meld Vals Spel reporting portal was launched on November 25th, 2024, so it’s too early to say how many sites have been reported to date.
The centre is open to reports from membersof the Netherlands Online Gambling Association and VNLOK, as well as other licensees, partner organisations and professional stakeholders.

VLOK and NOGA have called for increased monitoring of the black marketin the wake of new KSA data suggesting channelisation rates will fall below expectations.

According to research, Dutch online gambling channelisation is at 95%. However, data on Dutch player spending and revenue suggests the rate is closer to 87% as consumers spend more on illegal sites.

A recent government review focused on the Remote Gambling Act and its first three years since coming into law concluded that the Act had not yet created a sustainable and safe marketin line with original policy aims.

Concerns were raised regarding the current responsible gambling measures needing improvement, the effectiveness of spending limits, advertising and the overall enforcementof the illegal online gambling market.