KSA Chair Groothuizen Joins GREF as Board Member

The Dutch Gambling Authority (Kansspelautoriteit/KSA) announced that its chairman, Michel Groothuizen, has become a member of the Gambling Regulators European Forum (GREF). In his position, Groothuizen will get the opportunity to connect with the European gambling regulatory community and share knowledge.

Groothuizen Will Promote Universal European Standards

According to the KSA’s announcement, Groothuizen has become the GREF’s latest general board member. In its publication, the regulator confirmed that its chair will serve a two-year term as a board member.

As a result, between 2025 and 2027, Groothuizen will connect with a broader community of European regulators, gaining important networking opportunities. He will share knowledge, experience and best practices with other members as they all work together to make sure that European gaming is safe, compliant and transparent.

Groothuizen will furthermore play a role in strengthening the GREF and will contribute to its growth. His personal mission would be to work with other regulators to establish universal standards for gambling oversight.

Groothuizen commented on the matter, saying that certain standards should be shared among regulators, such as the restriction of gambling for adults only. He added that he is looking forward to a pleasant collaboration with other countries’ regulators.

KSA to Increase Its Oversight

In the meantime, the KSA recently warned that it was preparing to tighten its supervision of its new rules on advertising and gambling sponsorships in sports.

The latest restrictions are a part of the Netherlands’ phased approach to putting an end to untargeted advertising and will see gambling sponsorships in sports banned from July 1. While the country already prohibited untargeted ads and gambling content in certain TV programs, it had agreed to provide sports clubs with enough time to adapt to the new changes and to serve the remainder of the partnerships.

As the enforcing of the new regulations draws near, the KSA warned that it will carefully watch over the sector and prevent operators from finding ways to exploit or circumvent the law.

In addition to cracking down on harmful ads, the KSA also doubled down on its efforts against illegal iGaming and land-based operations.