A research programme into problem gambling prevention in the Netherlands will start this year. The Dutch gaming regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has announced further details of the new study which will focus on the prevention and treatment of gambling addiction and gambling-related damage through developing new knowledge and stimulating its use.
Research to Take Place for Three Years
The KSA commissioned ZonMw, the Netherlands’ organization for health research and healthcare innovation, to develop the research programme “Prevention of Gambling Addiction” back in August 2020, just over a year before the country’s remote gambling law (KOA Act) was passed.
Late last year, knowledge institute Trimbos released a literature study that outlined existing research into gambling addiction and determined areas that need further research.
The government’s Addiction Prevention Fund is providing funding for the research which will run for three years, until 2025. The fund was set up under the KOA Act and is currently managed by the KSA, the Ministry of Justice and Security, as well as the Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport.
Dutch Govt. Working to Reduce Gambling Harm
The government has continued to strengthen the country’s online gambling regulatory framework since the market’s launch on October 1, 2021, giving heavy emphasis on customer protection, social responsibility, and reducing gambling harm.