Netherlands’ minister for legal protection, Franc Weerwind, has launched a multi-year digital resilience campaign programme to tackle fraud related to online gambling. The campaign aims to address concerns raised by parliamentarians regarding match-fixing on social media platforms. Initially, the focus will be on educating young people to identify scams and deceptive offers. The campaign comes in response to a report stating that social media influencers were allegedly defrauding individuals through Telegram by promoting fake sports results. Weerwind clarified that there is no evidence of the involvement of young people in match-fixing or any actual instances of sporting events being manipulated. However, he expressed concerns about fraudsters targeting vulnerable individuals, particularly the youth. The minister also highlighted the undesirability of influencers endorsing risky gambling activities. Weerwind emphasized that fraud and the encouragement of criminal acts are both harmful and punishable.
In relation to the impact of online gambling, Weerwind voiced caution about making judgments before the review of the Remote Gaming Act in 2024. However, he stated that adjustments have been made within the existing legal frameworks, including the prohibition of role models in advertisements from June 30, 2022, and the restriction of untargeted online gambling advertising from July 1, 2023. Addiction prevention is a central focus of Weerwind’s policy efforts.
The Dutch government plans to introduce new regulations in early 2024 to enhance addiction prevention, acknowledging the flaws of the current system. In addition to the digital resilience campaign, the Netherlands gambling regulator, KSA, will work on increasing the brand awareness of the self-exclusion service Cruks among different target groups. There will also be a program in schools from 2024, developed by the Trimbos Institute, aimed at identifying and providing guidance for risky or problematic gambling behavior among young adults.
