KSA Issues New Duty of Care Guidance for Arcades and Casinos Amid Dutch Gambling Reforms

The Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) has taken fresh steps to reinforce oversight of land-based gambling venues, unveiling new duty of care guidance for gaming arcades and casinos.

According to the regulator, the new advice is intended to help operators strengthen how they safeguard players, following a series of on-site inspections carried out earlier this year.

While inspectors observed that most arcades demonstrated awareness of their safer gambling obligations, they also noted that the actual implementation of these policies often left significant room for improvement.

Rather than introducing new legal obligations, the KSA has chosen to provide operators with a suite of practical tools. These include a handbook, a set of frequently asked questions, awareness posters, and a short informational animation. The aim is to ensure frontline staff are better equipped to apply duty of care standards in practice.

As part of the package, the regulator has also issued an updated manual for using Cruks, the national exclusion register. The new version follows multiple requests from operators seeking clearer instructions on how to effectively integrate the system into their operations.

KSA Chairman Michel Groothuizen explained the regulator’s approach, highlighting the difference between online and offline oversight: “Certain key factors of the duty of care are easier to monitor for online providers than in brick-and-mortar casinos. In our conversations with arcade owners, we’ve noticed that they want to do more with the duty of care, but sometimes still struggle with its proper implementation. With this new guidance, supplemented with informational materials for employees, we’re giving them new tools to do so. In this way, we’re working together to ensure that players are optimally protected even at brick-and-mortar providers.”

The move comes at a time when the Dutch gambling landscape is undergoing substantial reform. Legal Protections Secretary Teun Struycken is reshaping the Remote Gambling Act (KOA), bringing in new safeguards that will apply to both retail and online operators.

The pressure on the industry has already intensified this year. July saw the introduction of a nationwide ban on sports sponsorships by gambling companies, further limiting operator visibility in the market. Enforcement has also been tightened: in April, the KSA issued a €734,000 penalty against an unnamed operator for breaching player protection rules.

In addition, gambling taxes have risen, though the regulator has indicated that these fiscal changes have had a smaller impact on industry practices compared to restrictions and fines.

By publishing this new guidance now, the KSA has made clear that its focus on player protection will not remain limited to online gambling. Arcades and casinos are being called on to raise their standards in line with the regulator’s broader crackdown on risky practices across the sector. 

By fLEXI tEAM