10 questions for Paul de Bruijn, affiliate in the Netherlands

Who is Paul de Bruijn? Can you introduce yourself to our readers?

Certainly! Paul de Bruijn, 35 years old, and has been working in the gaming industry since the end of 2016. I started in London at Kindred Group, better known as Unibet. In the summer of 2021, I walked my own path and started OddsBeater.nl. For two football seasons, we have been running an odds comparison website on this platform focused on the Dutch gambling market. In addition, since the Dutch regulation in October 2021, I have also been active as a consultant and provide providers with advice in the field of CX, CRM and product.

About the Dutch Gaming Market and Legislation

How has the recent tightening of Dutch gambling legislation affected the online gambling market, and specifically your work as a consultant for major gambling companies?

It has been an extremely challenging period, in which there has always been a lot of pressure from politics and the Remote Gambling Act has been adjusted in various areas, based on gut feeling, without any substantiation.

In any case, this has ensured that it is never boring and that you always have to adapt to a different playing field. As a consultant, it is therefore important to familiarize yourself with these new regulations and to be aware of all the facts. Based on that, your past experiences and what you have seen happen in other countries, you can be of great value to providers.

What specific challenges are online casinos currently experiencing due to stricter advertising legislation in the Netherlands?

There are currently 30 licensees of which 26 are online. Due to the stricter advertising legislation, all these providers are competing for the same visibility on different websites/social media, they want the best positions with the various affiliates and they try to organically get their place in Google. All of this is of course limited and very challenging, which means that the competition is enormous at the moment.

Future vision on the gaming market

How do you think the Dutch gambling market will develop in the next five years, given current and possible future legislative developments?

I fear with great fear that the illegal supply will gain more and more customers. From October 1, 2024, players must demonstrate that they can bear a certain limit/loss. It is enormously overestimated, especially by politicians, how many players will actually provide this kind of personal information.

The Dutch are not interested in this and if the illegal supply is so easy to find, verification is minimal, offers enormous welcome bonuses and regularly pays out just as quickly as the legal providers do, then the illegal market will only grow in the coming years bigger and bigger.

What do you think are the most important factors that will determine the success of online casinos in the Netherlands in the near future?

As an online casino it is very difficult to distinguish yourself. In the Netherlands there are currently 8 bookmakers who all use Kambi as a sportsbook provider. These providers largely all have the same odds and the same offer. In addition, no fewer than 6 providers run on the Oryx/Bragg Gaming platform. Largely the same look and feel.

What can you still distinguish yourself with?

In my opinion, this is not by offering the highest RTP or having the most slots. In my opinion, you do this by offering the perfect customer experience. From the moment a player lands on your platform for the first time, you need to provide the player with a smooth experience. Customer service must be easily accessible, knowledgeable and helpful. The player must be able to place his bet with 1 or 2 clicks. The player should be able to view his playing history with 1 or 2 clicks. It just all has to work smoothly. Sounds logical, but when you see some online casinos, tears come to your eyes.

Affiliate Marketing and OddsBeater B.V.

How do the strict legal frameworks in the Netherlands affect your affiliate company, OddsBeater B.V.?

The new advertising legislation of July 1, 2023 in particular has had a huge impact. We must provide our visitor data to each provider every month to ensure that our website does not have too many young adult visitors. Fortunately, this storm has subsided somewhat, but then the next storm is coming. The new playing limits and a likely significant increase in gambling tax will also have a huge impact.

What adjustments have you had to make to stay compliant?

To remain compliant, we had to make our website a lot less user-friendly. A visitor must now indicate that he is 24 years or older and only then can he use our platform. If he does not want to see advertisements, he must be able to indicate this at the touch of a button, so we have had to develop those types of adjustments.

Do you see a shift in the way affiliates have to work in a market with strict regulations such as the Netherlands?

Certainly. A large number of affiliates, whose website was not their core business, have dropped out because it is not easy to ensure that 95% of your visitors are 24 years or older.

What do you think are the biggest opportunities and threats for affiliate companies in the Dutch gaming market?

I don’t want to sound negative, but at the moment I see few opportunities for affiliates in the Netherlands. A motion was recently passed for a total advertising ban in the Netherlands, so in the worst case scenario it could end quickly for affiliates who have always followed every letter of the law. In that respect, that is immediately the biggest threat.

Let’s hope that in a few months I can paint a slightly more positive picture.

How do you ensure that OddsBeater B.V. continues to distinguish itself in a highly regulated and competitive market?

We offer a unique product in the Netherlands. You can compare the odds of 9 legal gambling providers in real time on the OddsBeater website. Naturally, we hope to offer every bookmaker in the Netherlands on our platform, but there is no other website in the Netherlands with such an offer.

Personal insights and experiences

What do you think are the most important lessons that online casinos and affiliates should learn from the recent developments in the Dutch market?

Live day by day, because tomorrow the situation could be completely different. Large companies would like to make plans and forecasts for x number of years, but in this industry, in the Netherlands, that is simply not possible. The political landscape is so uncertain and gut feeling prevails.