The Dutch Gaming Authority (KSA) has extended its investigation into the way gambling operators provide a duty of care to combat gambling addiction and gambling-related harm.

The research, which began in 2022, is now expected to continue into Q2 2023 due to divergent and inconsistent results.

“The initial findings are interesting and give rise to new, in-depth questions about what the duty of care looks like in practice,” said the KSA.

The regulator has so far assessed information from several different licensed operators and noted that duty of care procedures differ significantly from company to company.

The regulator is understood to be concerned that the information provided so far does not include sufficient detail on exact processes regarding duty of care.

As a result, the investigation will take longer than previously expected.

The study was initially kickstarted after the KSA was tipped off about Dutch players losing large amounts of money on gambling over a short period of time.

This red flag prompted further enquiries into how safer gambling policies and processes have so far been implemented and structured by licensees.

KSA: “When interventions are made, there seem to be major differences in how and when they are done and who orders them.”

In a “diverse” set of initial findings, the KSA said there are major differences in the way that operators monitor and report player losses, average losses, playing duration and the number of overall bets.

“A small number of players are responsible for a large part of the losses, playing time and the number of bets,” said the KSA.

“When interventions are made, there seem to be major differences in how and when they are done and who orders them.”

The regulator added there was no clear approach.

Licensed operators are likely to point to the wording as set out in the country’s Remote Gaming Act regulation as a reason for the discrepancies.

The KSA has pledged to publish a final report once the investigation has finished.

The KSA has been on the receiving end of some stinging industry criticism in recent weeks due to record fines dished out to operators that aren’t licensed in the Netherlands.

Recent enforcement action included a €12.6m fine for N1 Interactive and a €9.9m penalty for Malta-based Videoslots.

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