If you want to gamble with a gambling operator, that operator must comply with certain rules. These rules are there to protect you as a player. Here you can find out what you need to know and what you can do if something isn’t right.
Here’s what you need to know…
On the difference between legal and illegal gambling
Legal gambling means that the gambling operator holds a licence from the Gaming Authority. These operators must comply with strict rules. The Gaming Authority supervises these operators. You can check the Kansspelwijzer to see which gambling operators hold a licence from the Kansspelautoriteit.
At a legal gambling operator:
- You cannot gamble if you have registered with Cruks to stop gambling.
- You need to set limits.
- Does the company have a duty of care to ensure that you do not get into trouble?
- Should the company have fair rules?
- Are there any guarantees regarding payouts?
- Is there a complaints procedure you can follow if something goes wrong?
Read here about the risks of illegal gambling. In the Netherlands, we believe it is important that gambling operators are regulated. If you come across an illegal gambling operator, please report it to the Kansspelautoriteit. You can do this anonymously.
About the information a gambling operator must provide to you
A gambling operator must always make it clear that:
- That it is licensed by the Kansspelautoriteit
- Which gambling games it offers and who issued the licence
- Who is responsible for the gambling business?
- That there is a policy to prevent addiction
- How to take part in gambling without getting into trouble
- Where to seek help for gambling problems
- How to take a gambling break via Cruks
- How to gain an understanding of your own gambling behaviour.
The gambling operator must provide clear rules of the game, such as:
- How the gambling game works
- What the payout percentage is.
A gambling operator must also provide you with clear information about:
- The risks of gambling, such as the risk of addiction
- Gambling is not a solution to financial problems
- The fact that you often lose and winning is unpredictable.
Setting your own boundaries
You’ll need to set this up yourself:
- How many hours a day or a week you want to gamble
- The maximum amount of money you can deposit into your account
- The maximum balance you wish to have in your account.
This helps you keep an eye on your gambling behaviour.
On the duty of care of a gambling operator
The duty of care for gambling operators is laid down in law. Gambling operators must recognise when you are gambling at risk. For example, if you are staking large amounts of money or gambling for long periods. They must then take action, for example by:
- To issue a warning and show you what your gambling behaviour looks like
- To have a chat with you about your gambling behaviour
- To lower your limits, so that you can spend less money or gamble for a shorter period of time.
- Set a temporary ban or sign up for Gokstop via Cruks
- To let you know how you can get help.
The Kansspelautoriteit monitors how well gambling operators comply with their duty of care. If you believe that a gambling operator is not complying with the rules, you can report this (anonymously).
Please note: This text is intended solely to provide people who gamble with accessible information about the rules that gambling operators must comply with.
