On 25 February 2025, someone submitted a Woo request for information about staffing levels at the Kansspelautoriteit (Gambling Authority) in the Netherlands between 2012 and 2019. The focus was on the Supervision Department, and in particular on the Online Supervision section.
However, the regulator was unable to provide exact figures. According to the Kansspelautoriteit, the available data was already included in the annual reports. However, the distinction between general supervision and supervision of online gambling was not clear in those reports.
The applicant also wanted to see memos and policy documents from 2013
The applicant also asked for memos and documents that were discussed in board meetings in 2013. These included reports and notes on how to deal with illegal online gambling providers. These documents would give insight into the policy at the time.
Advice from the state attorney did not appear to exist
The applicant also requested the advice of the state attorney, as mentioned in a previously published memo. However, the Kansspelautoriteit reported that there had only been verbal consultation with the legal department. There was never any written advice from the state attorney.
Supervision department grew rapidly in the early years
The annual reports show that the Kansspelautoriteit’s Supervision department grew significantly in five years. In 2013, it employed 9.17 FTEs. By 2017, this had risen to more than 26 FTEs.
In 2016 and 2017, the Supervision & Consumer and Supervision & Provider departments were formed. The figures from those years are the sum of these two departments. Exact figures for the Online Supervision section are missing.
Kansspelautoriteit already mentioned 4 FTEs for online supervision in 2015
In an earlier Woo request from June 2025, a document was made public in which the Kansspelautoriteit counted on four FTEs for the supervision of online games of chance in 2015 and 2016. That number was separate from the broader supervision of games of chance.
Memos on tackling unlicensed online casinos
The applicant was also interested in the internal memo “Approach second batch”. This concerned the supervision of online casinos operating in the Netherlands without a licence.
This memo stated that the Kansspelautoriteit aimed to issue four penalty reports per week. A work instruction called “Investigation Online Provider” was used.
Targets were selected based on popularity
During a board meeting in 2018, a shortlist was discussed. This list contained websites that were popular with Dutch players. The Kansspelautoriteit investigated these sites to determine whether they were targeting the Dutch market.
Well-known names came under fire in 2017
At the end of 2017, investigations were underway into Betsson, Mr. Green, Bet at Home and Cyberrock, among others. All four received a sanction decision from the Kansspelautoriteit in 2018.
The regulator also shared several memos on the status of ongoing investigations in December 2017. Much of the relevant information can also be found in previous public penalty decisions.