Dutch Regulators Keen to Introduce 9pm Watershed for Gambling Advertising

The Netherlands is considering introducing a watershed for all gambling ads in the country, blocking any marketing before 9pm. There are currently restrictions already in place but lawmakers believe that tougher controls are needed. 

Preparations going full steam ahead 

With the Netherlands preparing to introduce a regulated gambling market, attention in the House of Representatives has turned towards the potential controls that are needed. Some of these relate to marketing and advertising, and there have been calls for a 9pm watershed to be introduced for all TV ads.

Lawmakers in the country provided their support to a number of gambling controls, including the proposal for the watershed which extends the legislation currently in place. At the moment, no gambling ads can be shown between 6am and 7pm but a proposal was made to align gambling restrictions with those in place for alcohol. This would mean a ban on all advertising before 9pm.  

Not all proposals were met with approval. One which suggested the gambling should be treated in the same way as tobacco for advertising was rejected and another proposing an increase in the minimum age was also voted down.  

There are a number of other measures which haven’t yet been debated, including whether to offer major sports governing bodies in the Netherlands the option to veto betting on certain events. This may be brought back to the House for debate at a future date.  

Calls for regulator action 

As well as approving the extension of the advertising restrictions, the House also agreed that the regulator (KSA) could enforce a ban on operators who hadn’t complied with the law previously. Any firm who offers igaming prior to the legalisation anticipated for mid 2021 will be slapped with a 2 year ban and won’t be allowed to enter the new framework until this period is up.  

However, lawmakers also urged the regulator to enter into more dialogue with the government to understand what controls are in place for the industry. Officials are particularly concerned about whether the regulator is being stringent enough in monitoring activity and taking sufficient measures to control potential problems.  

The KSA has been active recently, taking steps to ban loot boxes which has forced major gaming developers to redesign play. Lawmakers said it’s imperative that the government has full understanding of the measures being taken.