Games of chance: rules and supervision
The Dutch authorities seek to protect people who gamble, whether in casinos, lotteries, sports betting or online, against addiction and other problems. The authorities also seek to prevent crimes such as money laundering through illegal gambling operations. For this reason games of chance must be licensed by the Kansspelautoriteit or the municipality. The Kansspelautoriteit checks that licensed gaming providers are following the rules, and deals with illegal providers.
Problems linked to games of chance
Gambling can cause problems, for example when people gamble for long periods and bet large amounts of money. This can lead to gambling addictions or debt problems. Gambling can also be linked to fraud, money laundering and other crimes. At illegal casinos, people’s winnings are not always paid into their bank accounts. To prevent and combat these problems, businesses must have licences to provide games of chance.
Supervision of games of chance by the Kansspelautoriteit
The Kansspelautoriteit is the supervisory body for the Dutch gambling sector. It seeks to protect consumers and prevent gambling addiction. It also deals with illegal and criminal gaming providers. Its goal is to ensure that games of chance are reliable and can be played safely. The Kansspelautoriteit does this by:
- licensing potential gaming providers;
- checking that providers follow the rules, for example on advertising;
- taking enforcement action against illegal gambling operations;
- combating and reducing gambling addiction, for example by managing the Addiction Prevention Fund;
- providing information on games of chance to players and providers, such as which providers are licensed and what rules apply to licensed providers;
- combating match-fixing linked to gambling;
- managing the gaming exclusion register Cruks. Players who are on the register may not gamble for at least six months at any provider with a Dutch licence.
Supervision of games of chance by municipalities
Municipalities also have a supervisory role. They issue licences for slot machines and ensure that the licence conditions are met. Municipalities also issue licences for lotteries with physical prizes and monetary prizes worth less than €4,500. People and companies that wish to organise a small-scale game of chance, such as a bingo event, have to report it to the municipality.