Dutch Gaming Authority Fines Betent for Advertising Aimed at Young Adults

April 21, 2023 | Advertising

THE HAGUE (April 19, 2023) — The Gaming Authority (Ksa) has imposed a fine of 400,000 euros on gambling provider Betent. Betent was fined because it targeted young adults (18-24 years) with advertisements. That is prohibited.

The Ksa started an investigation following a broadcast of the TV program Kassa , which showed that Betent sent advertising messages to users aged 18 to 24 between October 2021 and March 2022. That is not allowed, because young adults are a vulnerable target group. The brains of young people are still developing. As a result, they are extra susceptible to gambling addiction.

Between October 8, 2021 and March 16, 2022, Betent sent messages to its customer base for online games of chance on its own website Betcity.nl. These messages also went to young adults.

This fine follows previously imposed fines in the context of the same investigation. Three games of chance providers were fined by the Ksa in the past six months for advertising aimed at young people. This is the fourth fine in the investigation.

René Jansen, chairman of the Ksa: ‘The law prohibits games of chance providers from targeting young adults with advertising. The Gaming Authority monitors this closely and with these four sanctions it once again underlines how important it is that providers of games of chance respect the rules that are intended to protect vulnerable target groups.‘