NOGA’s Eric Konings: Increase in gambling addiction no reason to panic
Casino Guru News spoke with Eric Konings, the director of the Dutch Online Gambling Association (NOGA), to talk about the developments in the Dutch gambling market. There is a lot going on, especially in the area of responsible gambling. Konings remains sober about the recent figures and warns against panic.
However, he is concerned about the increasing accessibility of the illegal gambling market and the fact that there is still too little insight into what exactly causes gambling addiction.
Increase in gambling addiction, but no reason to panic
They asked Konings about the number of people in the Netherlands who are seeking treatment for gambling addiction. Is there really an increase visible, and what exactly is behind it? According to him, it is all a bit more nuanced than it seems. Last year there was actually a decrease in the number of reports, but according to him that did not mean that nothing was going on.
Gambling addiction has a long lead time. It sometimes takes five to seven years before someone really seeks help. So the fact that the figures are now rising again is not a reason to be dramatic right away, according to Konings.
How can we detect gambling addiction earlier?
Because addiction often only becomes apparent after years, this requires a long-term approach. Casino Guru asked Konings what he thinks supervisors and gambling companies can do to identify people at risk earlier. He says that steps are already being taken. For example, work is being done on a system that allows us to identify problem behavior more quickly. This can help make the market safer and tackle gambling addiction earlier.
Who is responsible for gambling addiction?
According to Konings, it remains difficult to give a clear answer to the question of whether the responsibility for gambling addiction lies with the illegal market or with legal providers with a KSA license.
“We simply do not have enough information about that yet.”
What is noticeable is that more and more people are choosing illegal gambling sites. This is partly because there have been many changes in policy in recent years.
“We see that people are finding their way to the black market, especially now that new rules have been introduced on 1 October.”
Why do people choose the illegal gambling market?
How easy is it to switch to an illegal gambling site? According to Konings, it is far too easy.
“The offer on the illegal market is very attractive. They speak to you in Dutch, offer high bonuses and you do not have to register. That makes the switch tempting for many people.”
He says that 270,000 Dutch people find their way to these sites via Google every month. And these are not the small players; the largest illegal providers even attract more visitors than some legal gambling sites.
Does the current legislation protect Dutch gamblers sufficiently?
Although the rules in the Netherlands are quite strict, Konings thinks that the protection for players is well organised. However, there is still a major problem: the illegal providers continue to grow.
“It is shockingly easy for Dutch people to gamble with an illegal provider without registering. They even get service in Dutch and the bonuses are very attractive. We really need to tackle this.”
What needs to happen to better protect gamblers?
According to Konings, the government needs to do two things: ensure that the legal offer remains competitive and take tougher action against the illegal market.
“The legal offer needs to be attractive enough for players. It needs to be safe, but also not be restricted too much, otherwise people will drop out. At the same time, we need to look at the platforms that lead Dutch people to illegal sites and tackle the money flows to these providers.”