KSA and Roda JC launch "What does your profit cost?" campaign

Dutch football club Roda JC Kerkrade will wear ‘minus numbers’ on the back of their jerseys during their match against ADO Den Haag on 6 February to draw attention to the increasing normalisation of young people’s engagement with sports betting. 

These numbers are intended as symbolic gestures referring to the “invisible price” behind gambling operators’ profits – in this case that invisible price is the cost to young people. 

Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch Gambling Authority, has collaborated with the campaign, called "What does your profit cost?"

The KSA has backed announced its participation, pointing to its position that ‘sports bets’ are becoming more common on social media, within groups of friends and in amateur football teams. 

Jointly, Roda JC and the KSA have commissioned research into how young football fans perceive sport betting – the results suggested that 35% of young adults in the Netherlands feel it is normal practice, while with males that number rises to 50%. 

In practice, the research shows that four out of 10 players do in fact end up betting on sports matches in some manner before they turn 18. 

To reiterate the damage that this causes, the KSA cites more research, claiming that someone who gambles online loses an average of €118 ($139) a month – these are losses that clearly, young people can ill afford. 

Jordens Peters is the General Manager of Roda JC and has passed comment on the issue, saying: “Football is about winning and losing. But we're seeing that sports betting is becoming increasingly important, especially among young people. Precisely because football is so important to them, we as a club feel a responsibility to bring this topic up for discussion.” 

To further combat the issues raised by the football club and the Dutch authority, an educational programme has been developed for the Parkstad region of the Netherlands, where Roda JC is based.