Toto Online hit with €400,000 fine by KSA over young adult advertising
Netherlands Gambling Authority issues fine to the Nederlandse Loterij brand following four-month-long breach of advertising rules
The Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) has issued Toto Online with a fine of €400,000 (£345,282) for breaching advertising rules around marketing to young people.
The Nederlandse Loterij brand sent advertising messages to its entire customer base for four months, including bonus offers.
These messages were also sent to young adults between the ages of 18 and 23, which is prohibited under the rules set out by the KSA.
The dates of the indiscretion were 1 October 2021, when the online legal market opened in the Netherlands, until 1 February 2022.
René Jansen, chairman of the KSA, said: “The law says that vulnerable groups, including young adults, must be given extra protection. The brains of young people are still developing.
“As a result, they are extra vulnerable to developing gambling addiction. Gaming providers must fully respect the rules intended to protect vulnerable groups. That didn’t happen here, and that’s why this fine,” he added.
This fine follows a warning issued by the regulator to two unnamed operators who failed to adhere to the country’s Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act.
An investigation by the KSA found that the operators did not “sufficiently control the gaming behaviour” of their customers.
As a result of the investigation, the regulator reiterated that information around unusual behaviour on large deposits must be passed on to the Financial Intelligence Unit.