KSA Warns TonyBet over Lack of Customer Service in Dutch

The Dutch gaming regulator, Kansspelautoriteit, announced that it had issued a warning to an online gaming operator over a customer service violation. The company in question is a business that has received a licensed only recently but had not taken all steps to comply with the market’s requirements.

TonyBet Didn’t Have Non-Stop Dutch Customer Service

According to the Kansspelautoriteit, gambling operator TonyBet did not provide non-stop phone customer service in Dutch. The authority emphasized that all legal online gaming operators should offer reliable customer service in Dutch 24 hours a day.

The Kansspelautoriteit explained that this requirement has been set in place in order to ensure that gamblers in the Netherlands can always get the help they need. As a result, it is an important part of the duty of care, which the Kansspelautoriteit’s licensees must follow.

In the case of TonyBet, the operator had had a license for a few months. In its official release, the Kansspelautoriteit said that the company’s website had been live since the end of 2024. However, shortly after launching, TonyBet had a client who was unable to receive customer support in Dutch.

The client in question reported to the Kansspelautoriteit that they could only communicate with the customer service team in English. Shortly after that, the regulator reached out to TonyBet about the issue, notifying it of the rules licensed gaming companies should follow.

The Kansspelautoriteit confirmed that TonyBet took immediate action to rectify its shortcomings and hired more Dutch-speaking customer service employees. As a result, it almost instantly ensured that its customer service was available 24 hours a day in the Dutch language.

The Netherlands Considers Stricter Rules

In other news, the Kansspelautoriteit recently asked operators to make sure that their customers can afford to play by conducting regular affordability checks. The regulator noted that this would not only help the Netherlands prevent problem gambling but gambling-related financial crime too.

The Netherlands introduced its new mandatory checks in October 2024, requiring players to submit objective evidence to prove that they can afford gaming. Under these rules, certain income streams, such as tax refunds and loans, should not be taken into mind when determining the financial capacity of a player.

In the meantime, Dutch lawmakers are mulling over more stringent gambling laws. Among other things, lawmakers have proposed raising the minimum age for participation in riskier gambling products, introducing stricter measures on ambling ads, and providing the Kansspelautoriteit with the authority to crack down on offshore operators and ban them from accessing the Dutch market.

These proposals are backed by the Netherlands Online Gambling Association (NOGA) and are set to be compiled into a formal bill.