The Code of the Responsible Affiliates Quality Mark (KVA) has responded to recent parliamentary questions following the TV programme Zembla broadcast about gambling streamers and online casinos.
MPs from several Dutch parties submitted questions to State Secretary Claudia van Bruggen after a Zembla report suggesting that gambling streamers and influencers are allegedly promoting online gambling, often via affiliate structures. They asked whether advertising rules are clear enough and whether the Dutch Gaming Authority, KSA, has properly enforced them.
In a LinkedIn post, the KVA said the parliamentary questions require a careful and nuanced response. The organisation states that legal affiliation consists of websites that compare and discuss licensed operators. According to the KVA, these sites target consumers who are actively searching for information about online gambling through search engines.
It also emphasises that legal affiliate websites use age verification, warnings and options to disable gambling advertising before links to licensed operators are shown. According to the KVA, the parliamentary questions suggest that legal affiliates provide incorrect information.
The organisation also points to initiatives where affiliates warn consumers about illegal offers. It says legal affiliates have demonstrably committed themselves to addiction prevention and tackling illegal gambling.
It is important to note that the Zembla investigation did not focus solely on legal affiliates.
The research showed that more than half of legal online gambling companies have worked with influencers, even though it has been prohibited since 2022 to use role models in gambling advertisements.
This led the Dutch Mental Health Care Association and Addiction Studies Netherlands to call for a complete ban on gambling advertising.
The Code of the Responsible Affiliates Quality Mark is an organisation issuing a certification standard that ensures Dutch gambling affiliates operate legally, working in collaboration with the KSA
