VNLOK and NOGA join forces: a new industry association established in the Netherlands 

In the Netherlands, the new industry association VNLOK was created after VNLOK and NOGA decided to join forces. As a result, the name NOGA (Dutch Online Gambling Association) will disappear. All of their licensed members will join the Licensed Dutch Online Gambling Providers (VNLOK).

Do all members remain affiliated? 

Online you can view the affiliated members. But there is a small nuance: NOGA now has a few gambling providers affiliated that no longer have a license from the Kansspelautoriteit. 

Currently, the names of Betsson (formerly known as Goldrun Casino), LiveScore Bet and Flutter (formerly known as Tombola) still appear on the NOGA website. Software provider Games Global and the website CasinoNieuws are also members. At the moment, there is still uncertainty about how this will evolve for these parties after the merger between VNLOK and NOGA.

What is the response at VNLOK and NOGA? 

Now that these changes are coming, let’s take a look at the response from both parties. They sent out a press release in which both parties are satisfied with the establishment of one industry association to be able to gather them both. 

Sanna van Doorn (the vice-chairman of NOGA on behalf of Unibet) responds as follows: 

“The board of NOGA is pleased that after a long period of cooperation, we are now entering a next phase together with VNLOK as an industry association. We are convinced that we are realizing a broad and solid trade association that will continue to make a relevant contribution to a structurally healthy and safe online gambling market in the Netherlands.”

Björn Fuchs, the chairman of VNLOK since May 1st, agrees: 

“On behalf of the board of VNLOK, I would like to express our gratitude for the dialogue and efforts of the board of NOGA, which makes this joint next step possible. A necessary and logical step, which gives the online gaming industry one clear united voice towards all relevant stakeholders. We will soon be happy to welcome the NOGA people to VNLOK.”

Their short but rich history 

Both VNLOK and NOGA have a short but rich history. NOGA originally started under the name Stichting Speel Verantwoord. It was not until March 2021 that they continued as NOGA. And it was not until September 2021 that VNLOK was added, shortly before the legalization of online gambling became a fact.

Long before legalization became a reality, companies like Kindred, LeoVegas en Bet365 had already expressed their interest in obtaining a license for the Dutch gambling market. 

For example, VNLOK started connecting Dutch parties with a permit application.

Former NOGA chairman considered second industry association unnecessary 

Former NOGA chairman Peter-Paul De Goeij stated before the establishment of VNLOK in September 2021 that he found an alternative industry association of online gambling providers unnecessary. He believed it was a waste of money and effort and openly wondered who was waiting for a second party. Apparently, he could see into the future, because what he predicted is now becoming reality, to keep everything transparent.

What role did VNLOK play in the founding? 

Both parties reached an impasse regarding advertising for online gambling. Therefore, they took the initiative to further investigate the issue and establish an advertising code for online gambling.

Because NOGA had a different opinion, there was a delay before an advertising code for online gambling was proposed. The final result did not have the support of all the intended parties. For example, the consumer association withdrew from the deliberation. But the advertising code was then also written in such a way that the same rules applied to the land-based offer of the providers.

Merger not entirely a surprise after all 

However, both parties found each other more and more afterwards and showed unity as criticism of the gambling market grew, politically and when it often appeared in the media. For example, during Gaming in Holland in December 2022, both VNLOK and NOGA called for unity within the gambling industry.

They also found each other in 2023 by launching a new advertising code for online gambling together with the Stichting Reclame Code. And together they also filed a complaint against legal online casino 711, because this provider did not adhere to the advertising code with their welcome bonus.

At the end of 2024, they jointly founded the Meld Vals Spel reporting center, where reports are collected from illegal gambling sites that actively target the Dutch market and you can read about the dangers that such websites entail.

Last year they also came together with the Kansspel Barometer for which NOGA initially initiated. It became clear that 48% of risk players would turn to illegal providers in the event of a ban on online gambling, which also proves that such initiatives are essential for a healthy gambling market. 

This merger did not come out of the blue and seems rather evident if we analyse the past few years. 

Future options became clear last March 

Although the investigation into future prospects was still ongoing last March, a merger between VNLOK and NOGA seemed to have already been carefully set in motion. For example, Eric Konings, who at that time temporarily took over Peter-Paul de Goeij’s role at NOGA, transferred to VNLOK. And two months later we saw that Helma Lodders left VNLOK as chairman and that Björn Fuchs would take over this role.

Björn Fuchs will remain as chairman of the industry association that supervises the Dutch online gambling market after this merger. And the name VNLOK will continue to exist, although the board will look different. Former NOGA members can also get a position on the board.

This sets the course for the future. A supervisory board will be able to officially arrange everything under one name, which in practice was already happening before this merger was even discussed.