Dutch Politicians Urge Weerwind to Introduce Universal Loss Limit

The Netherlands’ Minister for Legal Protection, Franc Weerwind, has been urged to back a universal loss limit to the country’s Remote Gambling Act (KOA). Backed by the ChristianUnie (CU) Party, the measure seeks to make up for the deficiencies of the current safer gambling rules.

The proposal would introduce a universal loss limit across the 27 online gambling licensees in the Netherlands. This measure, according to the CU, is needed because the current rules have failed to prevent excessive online gambling.

The universal loss limit will apply across all operators in the country, preventing players from going to play with another operator once they hit the limit.

Mirjam Bikker, leader of the CU, emphasized that the measure has already secured majority support from many parties in the country, including the Christian Democratic Appeal, Conservative Reform Party, Dutch Socialist Party and Green Alliance.

The proposal was submitted to Weerwind who is currently responsible for the ongoing reform of the KOA.

Weerwind Says Such a Measure Would Be Difficult to Implement

Weerwind recently addressed the matter, confirming that he has received the CU’s request. However, the Minister for Legal Protection said that he doesn’t plan to advance the proposal to ministers.

According to Weerwind, a universal limit will be both time-consuming and too complicated to properly implement. Weerwind added that he believes lawmakers should instead concentrate on already existing proposals as the vote looms.

For reference, the minister previously proposed compulsory financial risk checks on player accounts that spend more than €350 a month. Approved by the Ministry of Justice, his proposals also include a €150 non-universal loss limit for customers under the age of 24.

However, the CU pointed out that, since there are 27 legal operators in the Netherlands, young people can still go to another operator once they hit the monthly €150 limit. As a result, they can still spend all their money on gambling.

Representatives of the CU and CDA critiqued Weerwind’s reluctance to tackle gambling addiction head-on and introduce the necessary measures to protect Dutch consumers. The latter party previously argued that the KOA has failed to protect local players from harm and must therefore be abolished.

In the meantime, the Netherlands continues its efforts to protect the safety of local gamblers. To that end, the country recently banned untargeted gambling advertisements, hoping to mitigate some of the damage.