Dutch Study: Offshore Operators Allow Minors to Gamble

The Dutch arm of Quality Mark for Responsible Affiliates – Keurmerk Verantwoorde Affiliates (KVA) – has published a new study that shows how easy it is for minors to gamble with unlicensed companies.

While legal operators can only offer gambling to players over 18, their illegal counterparts often allow customers to open accounts and deposit money without proving their identities.

Additionally, the KVA found out that some offshore sites accepted payments with youth bank accounts or using crypto wallets. The KVA also noted that players could set up accounts using nothing more than a phone number or an email address.

In an October 2023 study, the KVA proved its claims with screenshots, highlighting how easy it is to register and play with such operators. To make matters worse, many of them had local customer support, making it difficult for customers to identify them as unlicensed websites.

NOGA and VNLOK Ask Kansspelautoriteit to Do Something

Representatives of the Dutch online gambling trade associations NOGA and VNLOK commented on the matter, expressing their concerns about KVA’s findings.

Helma Lodders, VNLOK’s chair, said that the results of the research are concerning. Although Lodders was not surprised that illegal operators target the Dutch market, she was alarmed by how easy it is to access such offerings.

Illegal casinos allow minors to create an account without any restrictions and deposit money with a youth account, via internet banking or with the anonymous use of cryptos.

Helma Lodders, chair, VNLOK

Peter-Paul de Goeij, NOGA’s managing director, also commented on the matter, slamming the criminal practices for endangering minors and vulnerable players. He furthermore warned that such activities undermine the public confidence in the legal market.  

KVA’s findings have been referred to the Kansspelautoriteit. The NOGA and VNLOK hope that the Dutch regulator will take quick and decisive action against the “misleading and criminal practices” of illegal gambling companies.

Representatives of the associations urged the authority to leverage its powers to order payment service providers, affiliates and ISPs to block access to such websites.