Management and organisation

Michel Groothuizen

Michel Groothuizen is the Chairman of the Executive Board of the Netherlands Gambling Authority (Kansspelautoriteit). Previously, he served as Deputy Director of the Netherlands Custodial Institutions Agency (DJI) for over four years. From 2015 until 2020 he was the Managing Director of the Netherlands Institute for Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology, NIFP. During these years, he was also a member of the Provincial Council of Utrecht. Before that, he worked at the administrative department of the Ministry of Justice and Security, as Policy Director and Director of Economics. Groothuizen holds a Master’s Degree in both Law and Public Administration from Leiden University.

Areas of responsibility:

• Communication & Strategy
• Legal Affairs & Licencing
• Analysis & Research

Bernadette van Buchem

The vice-chair of the Netherlands Gaming Authority is Bernadette van Buchem. She previously served as Consumers Director at the Netherlands Authority for Consumers & Markets. Prior to that, she held various positions via ABD Interim. From 1985 to 2005, Bernadette van Buchem worked for the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Her positions there included Deputy Secretary-General and Director of Internal Affairs. Bernadette van Buchem studied law at Erasmus University Rotterdam. Since March 2021, she has also served as secretary at Stichting Leergeld Den Haag.

Areas of responsibility:

• Enforcement
• Monitoring
• Business Operations
• Information Technology & Automation
• Online Duty of Care

The Netherlands Gaming Authority has an Advisory Committee for notices of objection.This Advisory Committee has two new independent chairs: Adriane Koppe and Monique an Oers. On 26 May 2023, Adriane Koppe and Monique van Oers  were appointed by the Board of Directors for a period of three years.

The Netherlands Gaming Authority has had an Advisory Council since 2014. This council provides the Netherlands Gaming Authority with solicited and unsolicited advice.

The chair is Anita Vegter. She is a senior judge at the Court of Amsterdam. Vegter was previously Director-General of the Administration of Justice and Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Justice and Security, a board member of the ACM regulator, senior judge and deputy president of the Amsterdam District Court.

Other members of the Advisory Council:

• Haiko van der Voort, associate professor at the faculty of 'Technology, Policy and Management' at TU Delft and director of the master program 'Engineering & Policy Analysis'.
• Guda van Noort, professor of Persuasion & New Media Technologies at the University of Amsterdam.
• Marloes Kleinjan, head of the Youth programme at the Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction, and professor of Youth Mental Health Promotion at Utrecht University

In the event of requests for involuntary registration of betting and gambling activities in the Central Exclusion Register (Cruks), the Board of Directors can seek advice from a pool of experts. The external experts are appointed via board resolution by the Board of Directors and provide independent advice. The external experts in the pool are Bas Brons (social welfare worker, hands-on expert, independent therapist, counsellor and coach), Mieke Hoste (clinical psychologist, head of the psychologists service unit at Algemeen Ziekenhuis Oostende) and Marcel Marijnissen (physician specialising in addiction, affiliated with the Royal Dutch Medical Association and addiction clinic Triora Verslavingszorg, among others).

The Netherlands Gaming Authority consists of eight departments:

• Monitoring
• Enforcement
• Legal Affairs & Licencing
• Analysis & Research
• Information Technology & Automation
• Communication & Strategy
• Business Operations
• Online Duty of Care