The Responsible Affiliates Quality Mark (KVA) has discovered that illegal online gambling operators are using misleading and aggressive email campaigns to target Dutch consumers.
KVA is a self-regulatory industry initiative that certifies gambling affiliates in the Netherlands who agree to promote only licensed operators and follow responsible marketing and consumer protection standards.
It has recently conducted an experiment by subscribing to newsletters and marketing lists from various illegal providers targeting the Dutch. The association noted that the findings are concerning.
Analysing the emails, KVA found that players are regularly enticed with very high bonuses such as welcome offers worth thousands of euros and hundreds of free spins. In some cases, illegal operators even claim that €6,000 is already available for immediate withdrawal.
Of course, these sums are not actually deposited into player accounts. KVA notes that this is misleading marketing designed solely to attract consumers to an illegal provider's website as quickly as possible.
Many illegal operator marketing campaigns are designed to create a sense of urgency, claiming payouts must be confirmed within 24 hours or that exclusive bonuses can expire at any time.
The KVA is also regularly contacted by illegal providers even though it has never created an account or given permission to receive marketing communications. This raises serious questions about the origin of the personal data and how email addresses are shared or traded within the illegal network.
Earlier this month, a KVA study found that websites targeting searches such as “Casino without Cruks” attract more than 1.6 million monthly visits from the Netherlands. Cruks is the Central Register for Exclusion from Gambling.
KVA, in collaboration with the Dutch Association of Online Gambling Providers (VNLOK), recently estimated that Meta generates up to €13.6m per year from illegal gambling advertisements targeting the Dutch market
