KSA Maintains Positive Momentum with Cruks Gambling Awareness Campaign

The Dutch gambling regulator, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), announced the launch of a new education campaign that seeks to raise awareness of the dangers of problem gambling and encourage more people to self-exclude from the activity.

“Pick up Your Life Again, Take a Gambling Stop”

The announcement about the launch of the new campaign came from the gambling regulator on Monday. The responsible gambling campaign, titled “Pick up your life again, take a gambling stop,” follows the success of a similar pilot campaign organized by the KSA last year.

During the previous campaign, the word “gambling stop” proved to be attractive. This is why this year’s campaign includes precisely that phrase as it encourages people, especially young adults, affected by problem gambling to take a break and get their life back on track.

KSA’s new campaign will focus primarily on social media instead of advertising through traditional media. This is because the campaign will target mainly young adults, encouraging them to use the country’s self-exclusion register called Crucks. A reoccurring focus of the campaign will be the positive change self-exclusion brings for people affected by problem gambling.

A series of social ads, posts and videos will appear via YouTube and Google. KSA’s campaign will also target young adults using platforms such as Snapchat and Meta. Each advertisement or post will highlight the benefits of gambling self-exclusion and the positive change it can bring.

“The focus is on the positive effect that a gambling stop has on the life of a person with gambling problems. The powerful moments of young people who pick up their lives again can be seen in online videos, social ads and social posts,“

explains a statement released by the KSA

Dutch-Licensed Gambling Operators Must Adhere to Crucks

The national gambling self-exclusion system in the Netherlands, Crucks, plays an important role in the sector. The system was first introduced several years ago, in 2021, as part of the Dutch Remote Gambling Act, also known as KOA.

Currently, licensed online gambling operators in the Netherlands are required to check if a new customer is self-excluded from gambling by checking Crucks. If that is the case, they are not permitted to engage in gambling activities while if an operator fails to confirm that a certain customer is self-excluded, they may face regulatory action such as a fine.

Last month, a new reporting portal was introduced in an effort to tackle Dutch illegal online gambling. The new initiative was announced by a couple of Dutch trade associations that represent the licensed gambling sector, VNLOK and NOGA. The new portal enables licensed operators, responsible gambling platforms as well as different stakeholders to file a report about suspicious online gambling practices.