KSA Chair Urges European Unity Against Illegal Gambling Market
The head of the Dutch gambling regulator has highlighted the limitations of national efforts in tackling the global black market, urging European counterparts to work together to combat what he described as a vast and complex problem.
- KSA Chair Michel Groothuizen has called for cross-border cooperation to fight the global illegal gambling market.
- Groothuizen stated that half of Dutch gambling losses go to illegal operators and the global black market's turnover exceeds the GDP of most countries.
- The appeal comes amid domestic reforms in the Netherlands and wider European efforts to address unlicensed gambling.
Michel Groothuizen, Chair of the Netherlands’ gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has called for greater collaboration among European nations to effectively challenge the growing illegal online gambling market. He argued that the international nature of the black market makes purely national enforcement efforts insufficient.
To illustrate the scale of the problem within the Netherlands, Groothuizen stated that of every euro a Dutch person gambles away, half is lost to the illegal market. On a global scale, he asserted that the turnover of the illicit gambling sector is larger than the gross domestic product of any country, with the exceptions of the US and China.
The KSA has acknowledged that it needs assistance from other jurisdictions and regulatory bodies in its fight against unlicensed operators. Groothuizen’s call for a unified approach comes as the Netherlands implements reforms to its Remote Gaming Act (KOA).
The Dutch gambling industry has been under recent political scrutiny. At the start of the month, State Secretary of Justice Claudia van Bruggen was questioned by nine MPs on issues including player protection, the regulation of the sector, and the black market. Other topics raised included potentially increasing the legal gambling age to 21, limiting the number of licence holders, and the country’s impending advertising ban.
New Tools and Tech Accountability
In response to the challenges, Groothuizen welcomed suggestions for new enforcement tactics, including deploying a tool to block illegal websites and exploring the use of fake identities to investigate unlicensed firms.
The KSA chair also affirmed that the Netherlands is taking action against technology companies that allow black market adverts to appear on mainstream social media platforms.
holding the major tech companies accountable
The KSA’s position is consistent with wider international trends. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recently published ‘risk indicators’ to better inform regulators about black market operators. The FATF President also urged governments to implement “appropriate risk-based responses,” which should include “public-private collaboration.”
Elsewhere in Europe, the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has also set out to improve collaboration with national and international trade bodies as part of its own strategy to combat the illegal gambling market.
