Kansspelautoriteit, the Dutch gaming authority, has stated that it will utilise investigative findings to improve the duty of care at gaming halls across the Netherlands.

Throughout December 2023 and January 2024, KSA inspectors visited 20 gaming facilities across the country to investigate how duty of care was being implemented.

Sharing its findings, the gaming authority noted that the majority of gaming halls paid attention to duty of care, but added that its implementation could be improved upon in certain areas.

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The KSA stated that gaming halls have taken steps to meet the duty of care requirements in the KOA Act, including preventing and limiting gambling addiction as much as possible, but the “practice is not always sufficiently in line with the expressed good intentions and what is included in the policy”.

“It is striking that the personal circumstances and playing behaviour of regular players are (more or less) known. But there is sometimes a lack of actually addressing players, registering signals and interventions and intervening in the arcades examined,” said the authority.

Long playing times were regarded by all gaming halls as a “worrying signal”, but monitoring methods were not always elaborated and not a single venue investigated applied a maximum playing time, which the KSA stated was “particularly important at arcades that are open 24 hours, because there is no natural “stopping moment” for players”.

The KSA revealed that playing on multiple machines and reserving slot machines was allowed at all gaming halls visited, which while not prohibited, can be a factor in excessive gaming behaviour.

Other excessive gaming behaviour – visiting for a long time and/or with great regularity and a high number of debit card transactions per visit – was not sufficiently monitored by several venues.

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Letters were sent by the KSA to the gaming halls following inspections, citing specific improvement points for each location.

The authority concluded: “Guidance will follow later this year for all permit holders, containing an elaboration of the points identified and more specific attention to the duty of care of arcades. The KSA will then monitor compliance with this more strictly.”

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has welcomed Labour’s General Election victory and committed to working with the new government to deliver a world class betting and gaming industry.

Labour secured a landslide victory after the nation went to the polls on Thursday, July 4.

BGC Chair Michael Dugher said: “On behalf of our members, the 110,000 people whose jobs rely on the regulated betting and gaming industry, and the 22.5 million people who enjoy a bet each month, we welcome Labour’s victory and its commitment to continue working with the industry.

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“On hard-pressed high streets through bookmakers, in the leisure and tourism sector through casinos and bingo halls and in tech, where our members are genuine world beaters, this is a sector ready to contribute on growth, jobs and investment in the economy. We are investing in virtually every constituency in the land and we look forward to working with all the newly elected Members of Parliament.

“BGC members are currently in the midst of the biggest regulatory changes in a generation following the publication of the White Paper, which Labour supported, and much of this work will carry on now the election is complete. Our members have the much needed political certainty they need to plan and invest for a sustainable future.

“This work is backed up by the industry’s own significant efforts to drive world-class standards and protections for the vulnerable, which has transformed the sector in recent years and stands in marked contrast to the dangers posed by the unsafe, unregulated black market online.

“The BGC and our members remain committed to working with Labour to implement the evidence-based, proportionate, regulatory changes outlined in the White Paper, ensuring those measures get the balance right between protecting the vulnerable, while allowing the vast majority of punters who enjoying betting responsibly to continue doing so without unnecessary intrusion.

“The BGC had long treated Labour as a Government in waiting, working closely with shadow ministers in recent years, on behalf of our members and their millions of customers.

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“Our work to drive up standards and champion a world leading British industry carries on and we look forward to partnering with Labour – as they have pledged – in this vitally important work.”

Spillemyndigheden, the Danish Gambling Authority, has announced that it will be hosting a third anti-money laundering (AML) and financing of terrorism case-based training event, following a high volume of interest from prospective participants.

Organised in collaboration with the Danish Business Authority, the Danish Financial Intelligence Unit, the Danish Security and Intelligence Service, the Danish Bar and Law Society, the National Special Crime Unit, the Danish Supervisory Authority and the Danish Tax Agency, Spillemyndigheden will co-host the event on October 31.

Previous events were held in both November 2023 and April 2024. Both had proved popular enough to justify this latest iteration of the training, which follows the exact structure of the first two.

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The in-person-only event is set to take place in Copenhagen and is aimed at any persons or representatives of organisations subject to reporting duty under the AML Act. Training at the event will be a mixture of meetings, sessions and group interactions and is based on four cases of money laundering and terrorist financing. All training will be conducted in Danish.

The goal of the training, outlined by the Danish Gambling Authority, is to enhance the operational knowledge and exchange of experience between organisations that must adhere to AML law within the nation.