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Online gaming operators active in the Netherlands gambling market will have to abide by a new age verification requirement effective 1 January 2020.
According to Kansspelautoriteit, Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA), operators who do not visibly confirm the age of participants before the registration process is completed will be dealt with as a priority and risk being handed a fine.
“The range of illegal online games of chance is huge. KSA makes choices in combating this, with the protection of Dutch consumers as the guiding principle. The criteria of age verification is now added to the criteria that the KSA uses for this. Preventing minors from taking part in gambling is an important priority of the KSA,” announced the regulator.
The regulator has also warned operators about long-term consequences of not following new requirements.
“This violation is negatively taken into account at a later stage if an online gambling licence is applied for in the context of the Remote Gambling Act. This law, which is not yet in force and is currently being developed further, makes online gambling legal under strict conditions. “The expectation is that permits can be applied for from 1 January 2021. License applicants are then tested for reliability, among other things,” said in the statement.
The KSA added that only an objective means of proof can be used for age verification. The regulator also plans to go public with information regarding gambling operators refusing to pay the imposed fines.
The country’s new gambling legislation, which will allow online operators to secure a local licence for the first time, is expected to come into force on 1 January 2021, followed by a six-month period to consider licence applications ahead of the market opening on 1 July 2021.
