KSA chairman Jansen warns against gambling 'bombardment'

Jansen said that with the opening of the regulated Dutch gambling market from 1 October, operators will naturally want to attract customers, potentially leading to a "bombardment of advertising".

However, he said that elsewhere in Europe this has led to much stricter advertising laws, citing Belgium, Italy, Spain and the UK as examples of countries where varying degrees of restrictions have been imposed on gambling advertising.

While Jansen said he could not predict whether the same thing would eventually happen in the Netherlands, he said the Dutch regulatory framework had already introduced certain restrictions to prevent excessive advertising.

For example, radio and TV advertising for high-risk products, such as online casino games, is banned from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm, and operators cannot "incite unreasonable participation in gambling" or target vulnerable groups such as young people - Casino Bonuskode informs.

However, Jansen said the rules were "not necessarily" designed to prevent oversaturation, as there is no limit on the number of advertisements that can be aired, as long as they are legal.

"We hope that overseas experience has taught us that the industry has a responsibility too," Jansen said.

"Don't look for edges; advertise appropriately and responsibly. We have a common interest in ensuring proper legalisation and regulation of online gambling."

The Dutch market is due to open after the Remote Gambling Act came into force on 1 April, which has been delayed on three different occasions.

Once the law came into force, operators could apply for licences. The regulator said it had received 28 licence applications as of 19 April.

Last week the KSA announced that it would crack down on affiliates advertising unregulated gambling to Dutch customers. In its previous round of action against affiliates, the KSA said it had inspected 44 websites reported and sanctions were subsequently imposed.