In response to parliamentary questions, State Secretary for Justice and Security Claudia Van Bruggen has stated she is working on changes to online gambling law in line with the Coalition Government agreement.
The proposed reforms include a possible ban on online gambling advertising. There are also plans to improve the operation of Cruks, the national gambling self-exclusion register.
At the beginning of April, ChristenUnie party MPs Mirjam Bikker and Pieter Grinwis submitted parliamentary questions regarding Holland Casino advertising practices.
They expressed their concern at the fact that Holland Casino, as a state-owned operator, had sent marketing emails to players registered in Cruks.
Van Bruggen said gambling operators should not target vulnerable individuals. However, she noted that in practice this is difficult to enforce because current law only allows Cruks checks at the point of access to gambling services, not when advertising is sent.
She added that changes to regulations are needed to ensure proper compliance with the ban on directing advertising at individuals who have excluded themselves from gambling.
Calls for tighter restrictions on gambling marketing in the Netherlands have been growing, with both health organisations and political parties supporting stronger measures.
Earlier this month, the Dutch Mental Health Care Association and Addiction Studies Netherlands called for a complete ban on gambling advertising.
This was prompted by an investigation by the Dutch TV programme Zembla, which found that young adults are still being exposed to gambling promotion through online streamers despite strict rules intended to prevent this.
Meanwhile, in March, the SP and ChristenUnie parties proposed higher fines for gambling operators, stricter rules on licence suspensions, an advertising ban and longer self-exclusion periods.
The Coalition Government is in the process of drafting new regulations
