Dutch online gambling operators must be required to introduce playing limits on casino games, similar to what is currently being implemented in Germany. The measure is among 22 recommendations detailed in a report submitted by the Netherlands’ National Rapporteur on Addictions (NRV) to the country’s Ministry of Justice.

NRV Recommends Mandatory Playing Limits for Casino Games

Dr. Arnt FA Schellekens of the NRV recommends that a playing limit system be made mandatory for all 21 licensed online gambling operators in the country. The measure, according to the agency, will allow for a systematic approach to ensuring player protection just like in Germany.

But it remains to be seen whether the government will adopt this specific recommendation, with Legal Protections Minister Franc Weerwind previously stating that such a measure would not be an option for the existing market due to its privacy implications and high technical requirements. 

Report Highlights Operators’ Duty of Care Obligations

Citing Austrian legislation regarding duty of care obligations of licensed operators, the NRV also recommends that Dutch online gambling providers be held accountable for gambling-related damages to players if they are found to have committed failings in their duty of care responsibilities. 

Furthermore, the report calls on the Ministry of Justice to review all “high risk games” being offered in the KOA market. The NRV also proposes advertising restrictions, highlighting the link between exposure to advertising and gambling participation.

Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has stepped up its campaign against problem gambling through a funding commitment to three new public initiatives aimed at raising awareness about gambling-related harms. KSA will provide financial support to the projects via the Addiction Prevention Fund (VPF).

Three Projects Aimed at Preventing Problem Gambling

The first project, an e-learning training programme for the early detection of problem gambling, has been developed by the Dutch addiction treatment center, Jellinek. The programme is targeted at front-line professionals, including doctors, psychologists, debt counselors, and mental health experts. 

The second project is an initiative from Geldfit, a financial and debt management advice website run by the NSR Foundation.  The Geldfit team currently operates the “MoneyFit” platform which is dedicated to young Dutch residents with money-related questions. The platform will now have a problem gambling support segment to cater to financial issues linked to problem gambling.

The third project is an education programme led by the Trimbos Institute. Named “Bright at School”, the programme also focuses on the youth and aims to encourage healthy choices among them, as well as assist their environment in mitigating risky gambling. 

Pilot Programs to be Launched Soon

The three projects will soon launch their pilot programs with funding from the VPF which is managed by the KSA. If successful, the initiatives may get additional support from the gambling authority and other relevant agencies involved in providing funding for addiction prevention programmes.

A gambling harms training programme spearheaded by UK charity YGAM has had positive results so far, according to an independent evaluation by the Responsible Gaming Council (RGC). 

Launched in September 2020, the “Mindful Resilience” programme involved a series of training workshops regarding gambling addiction treatment participated in by healthcare professionals throughout the country. 

Mindful Resilience Delivering Promising Results

Training conducted under the Mindful Resilience initiative covered GPs, nurses, and other professionals in the healthcare sector. Of those who took part in the workshops, 91% said the programme was “good” or “very good”, with a further 67% saying they had already started putting into practice what they learned from the workshops. 

The RGC assessment also stated that the participants have become more confident in their abilities to help address gambling harms since participating in the programme, with their confidence ratings nearly doubling each year. Furthermore, 64% reported applying the lessons when working with children. 

Overall, responses and feedback have overwhelmingly been positive, with the workshops delivering very promising results for healthcare professionals, according to RGC CEO Shelley White.

YGAM Welcomes RGC Evaluation 

YGAM’s Director of Programmes Linda Scollins Smith welcomed the findings of the assessment, treating it as a positive step in increasing awareness about gambling harms within the healthcare sector. 

The charity ran the Mindful Resilience programme through 2022, in partnership with the RGC, the University of Bournemouth, and Betknowmore UK.

A gambling counseling service in Hong Kong has called for increased awareness about the risks and negative consequences of gambling among the youth. i-Change, operated by the Evangelical Lutheran Church Service of Hong Kong, made the call after it found that 41 percent of postsecondary students in the Chinese special administrative region have gambled in the first quarter of 2023.

Hong Kong Students Betting Up to HK$5,000

The majority of those surveyed played Mark Six lottery (63.5%), while others played mahjong (38%). A further 33% said they have placed bets on football and horse racing. According to the poll, 13% also reported gambling at casinos in the first quarter of the year, with 7% playing the card game baccarat. 

Some of the respondents reported placing bets starting at HK$500 (11%) all the way up to over HK$5,000 (3%).

Terence Mok Wai-ho, a social worker at i-Change, said increased gambling activities among youngsters could result in them incurring huge debts and resorting to online lending. 

Calls for More Awareness About Gambling Risks

Mok warned students not to transact with so-called online lending agents as their terms and process are not always transparent. As a result, debtors end up facing bigger financial problems. Mok said the government must do more in terms of educating young people about the negative effects of gambling. 

Paul Wong Wai-ching, Associate Professor for the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at the University of Hong Kong, raised similar concerns, saying gambling addiction could lead to suicide. 

Ahead of the implementation of a mandatory levy for gambling harm research, education, and treatment (RET) programs, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has granted funding to GambleAware to stabilize the RET system during the transition. The funds come from regulatory settlements agreed by the agency and a number of sanctioned operators since 2019.

System Stabilization During Transition to Mandatory Levy 

GambleAware has received a total of £32,844,197.31 from the UKGC which will ensure system stabilization during the shift from voluntary system to a mandatory levy. Additionally, the funds will allow the charity to step up its commissioning efforts in terms of reducing inequalities in outcomes, access, and experience. 

A portion of the funds will also be used to develop an integrated system powered by digital technology which will improve access to RET services.

Priority Areas for Research 

When it comes to research, the UKGC has set out three priority areas – system research to inform commissioning or service provision, continuing to establish the gambling harms evidence base, and evidence translation and dissemination. The most recent funding allocation for GambleAware from the UKGC marks another record high for the regulator which in April 2020 also handed out £8.8 million to the grant-making charity.

The mandatory levy is among the recommendations contained in the Gambling Act Review White Paper. The measure has received strong backing from GambleAware.