Dutch authorities fix potential underage play loophole

When facing parliamentary questions, the Netherlands’ minister for legal protection, Franc Weerwind, confirmed that the Dutch gaming authority de Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) had flagged that players could deposit money from a bank account other than their own with a particular operator.

The KSA addressed this issue with the operators in question, who communicated that they will solve the issue so that this deposit method is no longer possible. Weerwind also attested that no minors were actually involved in the deposits that led authorities to learn about the loophole.

Weerwind reiterated that Dutch gaming regulations specify that players may only deposit money from an account that can be unambiguously traced back to them, prohibiting deposits from a third-party account.

A further issue arose with operator Holland Casino whereby players who were logged into the betting account of another player with exactly the same last name could link their own payment details to this account. This issue has since been resolved.

Weerwind outlined the protection the gaming legislation has in place to prevent minors from gambling.

He said: “When creating a player account, the identity is established and verified, among other things by means of a check on the Citizen Service Number. In addition, a player must identify himself every time he or she wants to access his player account, for example by means of username
and password.

“In addition, only money can be deposited with a payment account that can be unambiguously traced to the person of the player. This minimises the chance that a minor can actually play with a licensed provider.”

The KSA has previously warned operators about their advertising practices, amid concerns that their activities could attract minors and young adults to online gambling.