Chairman of gambling addiction prevention organization SLICKS criticizes Cruks register 

Raymond Aronds (chairman of SLICKS) criticized the current use of Cruks on the radio program “Geld of je leven”. Aronds directed his criticism indirectly at politicians, as they are responsible for how this register functions.

According to the chairman, there are numerous areas for improvement. However, the Kansspelautoriteit is proud of what has been achieved thanks to the implementation of the Cruks register. The view of Raymond Aronds therefore raises questions and calls for further investigation.

The purpose and functioning of the Cruks register 

What is known as Cruks, stands for: Centraal Register Uitsluiting Kansspelen. Its purpose is to prevent players with gambling addiction from playing. This register is part of the prevention policy of the Kansspelautoriteit. 

Anyone on the list can no longer play in physical casinos, betting offices, or online. Players can voluntarily join this register to protect themselves, but it can also be enforced at the request of a friend/family member who reports the incident, or when a gambling provider submits a request to the Ksa.

The Kansspelautoriteit will always first conduct an investigation instead of immediately imposing compulsory registration. Once the Ksa approves the registration, the person in question will be listed in the Cruks register for six months.

In Belgium we have a similar system, known as EPIS (Excluded Persons Information System), where excluded players are collected. 

What does the SLICKS Foundation stand for? 

SLICKS stands for Stichting Landelijk Informatiecentrum Kansspel Spelers. This organization represents the interests of gamblers and vulnerable players in particular.

As an independent foundation, they are committed to preventing gambling problems through their experience, policy expertise, scientific expertise, and social engagement. Assistance, development, and awareness are the three pillars that SLICKS focuses on.

Who is Raymond Aronds? 

Raymond Aronds is not only the chairman but also the founder of the SLICKS Foundation. With his foundation, he aims to put an end to gambling problems and make this topic accessible to the general public.

As a passionate, experienced professional, he also has over 40 years of experience in the gambling world. By combining his personal experience (including as a gambling addict) with extensive knowledge of addiction treatment, policy advice, and prevention, he has succeeded in creating a powerful platform. Aronds is also the founder of Gokcast, where he focuses on podcasts and videos in collaboration with peers, care providers, and policymakers.

Radio program “Geld of je leven” focuses on the Cruks register 

In this radio program, presenter Hans Versteeg examines how people earn and spend their money, and the effects of these financial flows on society.

The operation of the Cruks register became a topic of conversation as it surpassed 100.000 registrants. Raymond Aronds was a guest, along with Marloes Derks (spokesperson for the Ksa).

The broadcast began with a pre-recorded audio message from Michael van Dijk. Van Dijk is the author of the book “U heeft helaas niets gewonnen”. In this book, he shares his past as a gambling addict.

Number of registrations in Cruks is increasing 

Now that it has become known that the number of registrations has exceeded 100.000, Aronds sees this primarily as a signal that gambling problems are increasing in the Netherlands.

Aronds points to the legalization of online gambling in October 2021 as an explanation for this significant increase. According to him, this caused an influx of gambling advertising, which resulted in a growth in gambling addiction.

However, the broadcast made little mention of whether the number of Cruks registrations is linked to an increase in the number of problem gamblers. Yet, this assumption is made throughout the broadcast.

The vision of the Kansspelautoriteit 

The Kansspelautoriteit explicitly contradicted this assumption in February 2024. Franklin Neuteboom, Project Leader and Senior Communications Advisor at the Ksa, saw the ever-increasing number of people in Cruks as a success of the system and therefore not as an explanation for the growing number of addicts.

When it was announced last week that the 100.000th registration had been made in Cruks, Vice-Chairperson Bernadette van Buchem responded that the Kansspelautoriteit remains committed to generating even more awareness for the Cruks register.

Marloes Derks confirmed in this broadcast that the Kansspelautoriteit is proud of what the Cruks register has already achieved:

“But it’s true that these hundred thousand people have absolutely benefited from the registry. And we’re really hearing those voices from this group. And in that respect, we’re very proud of what we’ve achieved with the registry.”

Aronds questions the functioning of Cruks  

In this broadcast, Aronds openly questioned the effectiveness of this register. He pointed out the limitations of the system and how easy it is to deregister after six months. 

And not all games of chance fall under this register, which reveals a further limitation of the register. Author Michael van Dijk shares this view when he reflects on how easy it was to be admitted as a player everywhere again after those six months.

Marloes Derks pointed to the legal requirement that cancellation must always be possible after six months. However, she noted that the Ksa introduced an eight-day cooling-off period precisely to prevent impulsive cancellations.

The political basis behind Cruks 

The Ksa acknowledges that Cruks does not apply to all legal gambling. This allows anyone included on this list to still buy scratch cards and play slots in a café. Participating in sports betting through the TOTO Winkel is also an option.

This raises the question of the extent to which Cruks has truly protected people so far. According to Marloes Derks, this limited effectiveness is the result of political decisions in the registry’s design. 

Derks couldn’t answer the question of whether the Ksa would also like scratch cards to fall under Cruks. She emphasized that this is a political decision.

The radio program brought together both perspectives (from SLICKS and the Ksa) and exposes the shortcomings on the one hand and on the other hand how politicians could do a better job in this regard if they wish to commit themselves to this.

Radio program has paid attention to gambling before 

Incidentally, this isn’t the first time this NPO Radio 1 program has focused on (online) gambling. They’ve already discussed, among other things, sponsorship deals between gambling companies and football clubs in the Netherlands.

Holland Casino CEO Petra de Ruiter was a guest in August 2024. Petra de Ruiter came to discuss the difficult position the state-owned company was in when the increase in the gambling tax was discussed.

The program also addressed topics such as politics and legislation regarding gambling. For example, a journalist testified about his research on the duty of care at online casinos. 

The topic of gambling addiction was also discussed. The situation of an addicted gambler who, under the influence of cocaine, had lost a significant amount of money in a land-based casino was further explained.

There’s still the danger of illegal providers 

At the same time, the following problem must also be faced: Namely that illegal providers must also be banned since they are not subject to any regulations and problem gamblers can continue to play there without any problem.

There’s absolutely no protection or oversight there. An important point to note is that people who still decide to play on such websites also run the risk of identity fraud and unpaid winnings.

As long as illegal providers can’t be completely eliminated, there’s always a way to keep playing, beyond Cruks. If illegality can be further prevented and Cruks optimized, it will become more realistic to reduce gambling addiction.