Dutch gambling regulator announces new grant funding

(AsiaGameHub) –   The KSA has awarded funding to five organizations to advance progress in training, support and treatment for gambling harm.

The Netherlands.- Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has unveiled a new round of investments via its Addiction Prevention Fund. The recipients are five new projects focused on preventing and reducing gambling-related harm.

The regulator has allocated funding to Anonieme Gokkers (Anonymous Gamblers Foundation), Nederlandse Vereniging voor Psychiatrie (Gamblers’ Environment Foundation), the Dutch Association for Psychiatry, the Trimbos Institute and the Naast Foundation.

The Anonymous Gamblers and Gamblers’ Environment (AGOG) foundation will train new group facilitators and invest in ongoing professional development. In addition, AGOG is exploring the feasibility of digital peer support meetings, KSA notes. This could provide a solution for regions that do not yet have physical AGOG groups, or for people who cannot attend in-person on-site meetings.

Meanwhile, the Dutch Association for Psychiatry (NVvP) is receiving funding from the Addiction Prevention Fund to develop a guideline for the treatment of gambling and gaming addiction. NVvP guidelines offer evidence-based recommendations for clinical practice for healthcare professionals. This new guideline will follow up on a recommendation from the National Rapporteur on Addictions (NRV) from its report *Gambling with Health*.

The Trimbos Institute has launched two pilots focused on gambling-related topics, funded by the Addiction Prevention Fund. The Growing Up in a Promising Environment (OKO) programme is testing whether it can help prevent gambling behavior among young people. To reach this goal, a literature review is underway, monitoring data is being analyzed, suitable interventions are being identified, and discussions are being held with municipalities and local partners. The institute will also explore how employers can prevent gambling in the workplace and how they can better refer employees to get support.

Finally, Stichting Naast receives a subsidy to offer webinars, individual counselling, and newsletters for the loved ones of people living with a gambling addiction. The organization publishes additional information about gambling-related harm on helpmijndierbareisverslaafd.nl. The goal is to connect the information and helplines of Stichting Naast and OpenOverGokken, ensuring clear referrals between the two services and creating a recognisable pathway for people seeking help and advice.

The Addiction Prevention Fund (VPF) has been managed by the KSA since 2021. The fund is financed via an extra gambling levy charged to providers of offerings the KSA classifies as high-risk gambling.

Earlier this week, the KSA announced that it had completed its investigation into gambling among minors. Its report concludes that it is virtually impossible for minors to gamble with legal gambling operators.

The regulator said that when age verification is bypassed, it is most often done via accounts owned by adult family members and friends. The KSA added that it will also share recommendations with online gambling providers on how to stop minors from using an adult’s bank accounts or linking their own bank account to an adult player’s account in cases where both share the same initials.