New websites protect you from illegal gambling
•
8 Nov 2024 •
Reading time: 3 minutes Two new websites have been launched to warn players in the Netherlands about the risks of illegal gambling. CasinoZonderCruks.nl and CasinoZonderVergunning.nl want players to know exactly what they are risking when they do business with illegal online casinos.
In the Netherlands, there is growing concern about illegal gambling sites that specifically target vulnerable players. These are often people who have blocked themselves via Cruks as a precaution, or players who want to avoid limits in order to play with higher amounts. Although online gambling is now legal here, illegal providers still actively target Dutch players.
An initiative by CasinoNieuws.nl for more awareness
To protect players from the temptations of these shady gambling sites, CasinoNieuws.nl has launched two new websites. The goal? To ensure that vulnerable players are well informed about the risks of illegal gambling. CasinoZonderCruks.nl and CasinoZonderVergunning.nl have been live since last Thursday, and both can also be reached via a .com address.
Frank Op de Woerd, editor-in-chief of CasinoNieuws.nl, sees the dangers of illegal gambling sites every day.
“These sites exploit the weakness of gambling addicts and are incredibly cunning. They promise everything, but in reality you lose everything before you know it. I see almost nothing worse than gambling sites that lure addicted players into their trap.”
Clever deception to expose illegal gambling sites
The websites are designed in such a way that visitors initially think that they are gaining access to illegal gambling sites. But as soon as they try to click through, they end up on a video with Feite Hofman. Hofman, who is chairman of the AGOG (Anonymous Gamblers Nearby Gamblers) and a former gambling addict himself, tells his story in it and warns about the risks of gambling with providers without a license. He also points viewers to various agencies that can help with gambling problems.
No promotion for legal casinos, but a call to stop
Op de Woerd states in a press release that he is not trying to send players to legal Dutch gambling sites. His goal is to prevent gambling addiction and to draw attention to the risks of illegal gambling. He hopes that the websites will trigger something in people who are considering playing at an illegal casino, so that they understand what is at stake.
“It is really not my intention to encourage people to play at legal casinos. If someone is looking for a place to gamble in a weak moment, I hope that Feite Hofman’s story will shake them awake. Even if there were just one person who would not gamble because of this warning, the investment would have been more than worth it.”
Earlier initiative by KVA to ban illegal gambling sites
This project by CasinoNieuws.nl is not the first initiative to ban illegal gambling sites from the search results. Earlier this year, the KVA (Quality Mark for Responsible Affiliates) asked its members to create pages with the title “Casino zonder Cruks” (casino without Cruks). These pages were supposed to prevent illegal sites with similar keywords from ranking high in Google.
After the introduction of playing limits on October 1, 2024, KVA made another call. This time they wanted members to create a page called “Casino zonder Limitiet” (casino without limits) to once again push illegal gambling sites out of the search results. In this way, KVA is trying to prevent fraudulent gambling sites from dominating the first search results pages and reaching vulnerable players.