People want to relax and be entertained. And gambling has always been an attractive way to play. Nowadays you can gamble online, through apps or in a physical casino or game hall. Games, and gambling as well, are a fact of life.
The Ksa is neither for nor against gambling. We think it is important that gambling is safe and fair. Hence our mission: Playing Safely. What constitutes safe and fair is specified in laws, regulations and licensing conditions. We strive to create a world where gambling services are reliable, operators are transparent and players are protected. A world where the games are fair and the chances of winning are clear, and where there are no gambling addicts or illegal practices.
Playing safely
Preventing gambling addiction
We monitor compliance with duty-of-care rules by operators and take harsh action where necessary. We also explain what we want and enter into dialogues with operators in order to find better solutions. Furthermore, we assist people to help themselves through a self-imposed Gambling Break by enlisting in the Central Exclusion Register (Cruks) and through various self-help modules. Of course, we also inform people about the risks of gambling and offer guidance to problem gamblers so they can get the help they need.
Protecting and informing consumers
We let players play protected games with legal operators. We do this by adequately informing the public about gambling and referring people to the different forms of assistance that are available. Additionally, we monitor compliance with the rules by operators and intervene where necessary.
Countering illegality and crime
We are cracking down on illegal online operators. For this, we need additional jurisdiction, because not all the tools we have are equally effective. For example, we aim to quickly make illegal offerings inaccessible to players by shutting down websites. Together with the Public Prosecution Service, municipalities and the police, we tackle illegal physical offerings that contribute to subversion. Furthermore, we prevent criminals from laundering money by ensuring compliance with the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing Act (Wet ter voorkoming van witwassen en financieren van terrorisme, Wwft).
What are we building on?
Understanding the gambling market
We understand the seduction tactics of legal and illegal operators. We know which games there are and how they work. And we are aware of the risks associated with gambling. We also understand how to intervene where necessary and recognize which interventions are effective.
Understanding players
We understand how gambling related problems arise. We understand how a recreational gambler can turn into an at-risk gambler and an at-risk gambler can turn into a problem gambler. In addition, we know how large the group of at-risk gamblers and problem gamblers is.
Innovatively monitoring compliance
We perform risk-based and data-driven monitoring. Our interventions are fast and appropriate, focused on achieving maximum result. We will continue to improve to keep up with developments in the market. In order to do this properly, we organise our own innovative strength.
Collaborations
To fulfil our ambitions, we work together with stakeholders to achieve our mission: Playing Safely. We act to prevent misconduct. These stakeholders include the criminal justice chain, addiction care services, municipalities and debt counselling services.
Professional organisation
We will continue to invest in our information management and security and in our data management. In doing so, we will keep our processes and systems up to date and efficient. This will contribute to our risk-based and data-driven monitoring. Furthermore, addiction prevention is a full-fledged task in our work.