Dutch broadcaster plans casino TV channel
Casino television station will target female market once gambling regulation comes into effect in 2015
The Netherlands’ second largest broadcaster, SBS, is planning to launch a new casino television station aimed at the Netherlands’ female population.
SBS, whose three channels command roughly 40% of the Dutch market, is currently preparing a female-focused channel to complement its male version, Veronica, which it will then repurpose into a gambling channel once remote gaming is legalized as planned in January 2015.
The news comes after gambling station Call TV was taken off air in 2007 after the tightening of gaming rules. The channel, which was part-owned by SBS, generated 12m a year while the new channel is forecasted to generate up to 19m per annum.
The Dutch government was opposed to Call TV during its period of broadcast and Socialist Party MP Nine Kooiman has come out to criticise plans for a similar-positioned channel.
“Many people got into trouble through these games of chance, even to the extent of going into debt,” Kooiman said. “It is not wise to push people into addiction with a gambling channel.”
However, Willem van Oort, founder of Gaming in Holland and gaming consultant for GranVia, told eGaming Review the country can expect to see various new gambling initiatives come to light post regulation.
“TV gaming will inevitably be part of that and we see that in other countries this has been done successfully and in full compliance with all the rules and regulations,” van Oort said.
“The most obvious choice is late-night gambling on TV, but other daytime gaming – more in the softer genre like bingo – will also find its place,” he added.
To participate, customers would be required to fill in roughly 25 fields of information online while SBS would need to carry out a complete Know Your Customer check before allowing viewers to take part in games of chance.