Not only losses, but also the frequency of players’ play requires supervision by providers, according to the Kansspelautoriteit. They announced this in their newsletter, which urges more scrutiny than just the amount a player loses.
Ksa launched investigation after signal of player’s gambling issues
When a player was discovered to be exhibiting worrying gambling behaviour, the Kansspelautoriteit felt compelled to launch an investigation.
At first glance, the player’s behavior didn’t seem alarming, as he wasn’t losing any more money than before. However, what was concerning was the speed at which he was losing money.
Player active for over a year at a legal online casino
The player in question had been active at a legal online casino for over a year. According to the Kansspelautoriteit, his gaming behavior gradually became more disturbing.
What was striking was that the provider had set a limit on the player’s monthly losses, but in other areas he took more risks and played more often.
And this was the striking trend: He wasn’t losing more money due to the set limit, but rather taking increasingly shorter periods to lose the same amount, with increasingly bigger bets. So he increased his bets and gambled away the same amount in a shorter time.
What can we conclude from Ksa’s research?
According to the Kansspelautoriteit, the provider’s response to this change was inadequate. The investigation indicates that the provider did not intervene because the monitoring system detected a decrease in both the number of deposits and playing days, and the losses due to the set limit did not increase.
According to the provider, the parameters showed no signs of worrisome or alarming gaming behavior. However, the Kansspelautoriteit believes that providers should better map gaming behavior by efficiently monitoring everything and that the provider should have noticed this escalating pattern.
The Kansspelautoriteit emphasizes this fact by warning that players can switch providers after reaching their limit. This can serve as an additional incentive for providers to proactively communicate with players and fulfill their duty of care. Retaining players in a safe environment should be a top priority for every provider.
The restrictions of playing limits
While the Kansspelautoriteit emphasizes the importance of broad monitoring, it also exposes limitations on the limits that apply per provider. Because players can play with multiple providers, there’s another issue at stake.
A legal limit for players applies only to each provider. Players can play at multiple casinos simultaneously, meaning no single provider has insight into their players’ entire gaming behavior. This means it’s possible for someone to gamble excessively without being noticed. Several providers expressed their concerns about this during the Gaming in Holland conference. This puts players at risk of being insufficiently protected against problematic gambling.
Ksa has recently taken action several times
The Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa) has recently issued several warnings and instructions. ZEbet received a warning regarding its wagering requirements. A similar incident occurred at Starcasino.
ZEbet was also confronted with their sports betting offering, and Circus was also reprimanded for this.
Five important points of attention to improve player data
The Kansspelautoriteit held a meeting in early May with the other providers. Almost all license holders were represented.
The Ksa outlined five important points of attention for optimizing player data. Improved record-keeping leads to more substantively accurate records, which improves oversight and protects players.
Ksa shares newsletter on official site
On their official website you can also read the newsletter on this matter, in which they emphasize the importance of broad monitoring of gambling behavior and the progress of their recent research.