Kansspelautoriteit Chairman Outlines Need For Improved Financial Guardianship

Michel Groothuizen, Chairman of the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), believes better consumer safeguards are necessary for financially vulnerable players. However, he has also warned against using gambling regulation as a tool for income policy.

The key question in this debate is: how far should governments go in protecting players from financial harm without limiting individual choice? Championed by State Secretary for Legal Protection Claudia van Bruggen, these reforms introduce major changes to the regulated market. 

Proposed measures include a near-total ban on online gambling advertising, the removal of welcome bonuses, centralised deposit limits across licensed operators, 21 years minimum age of 21 for online games, and stronger enforcement against illegal operators.

Financial protection should focus on vulnerability

Groothuizen has argued that gambling regulation should not become a mechanism for determining how people spend their money. He compared gambling losses with speculative investments, noting that individuals are free to make poor financial decisions without government intervention.

“It is difficult – and in my view also undesirable – to conduct income policy through gambling regulation. How much should people be allowed to gamble away?”

His concern is that regulation should target vulnerabilities instead of applying restrictions based on earnings. “Should the government be allowed to decide that for them at all? I am very wary of infringing upon the freedom of choice of citizens and of making distinctions based on income alone.” At the same time, Groothuizen believes gambling presents unique financial risks that justify better safeguards. 

In his paper Gambling: vulnerable and precious, he argues that gambling has become normalised across Dutch society, especially among younger adults, while smartphones have removed many of the barriers to access. “Gambling has become completely normalised, especially among young people,” Groothuizen warned. 

While the average player loses around €125 each month in the regulated market, he cautioned that vulnerable individuals can experience higher losses in a relatively short period.

Expanding CRUKS could better protect vulnerable groups

Groothuizen believes one of the most effective ways to strengthen player protection is by expanding the role of CRUKS, the Netherlands’ national self-exclusion register. Around 120,000 people are currently registered in CRUKS, preventing them from accessing licensed gambling operators. 

Under the government’s proposed reforms, the minimum exclusion period would increase from six months to one year. Groothuizen supports this proposal. “That seems like a sensible intention to me. As far as I am concerned, it could be even longer.”

His strongest recommendation is to integrate CRUKS with the Central Curatorship and Administration Register (CCBR), including individuals under financial administration or legal guardianship. According to Groothuizen, approximately 250,000 people in the Netherlands are under protective financial administration, while another 25,000 are under curatorship. 

“These are precisely the groups,” he argues. “By linking the CCBR directly and integrally to CRUKS, we offer optimal protection to an extremely vulnerable group.”

Dutch lawmakers search for the right balance

The proposals reflect the challenge facing Dutch gambling policy. Lawmakers want improved consumer protections without inadvertently pushing players towards illegal gambling websites, where safeguards such as CRUKS and deposit controls do not exist.

Kansspelautoriteit has warned that excessive restrictions on licensed operators could unintentionally strengthen the unregulated market while weakening consumer protection. Groothuizen’s position is to support stricter rules protecting vulnerable consumers without making players feel incapable of responsible decisions.

He concluded that society may not be able to prevent an alcoholic from entering a liquor store, but it can “lock the door to the legal casino” for those facing the greatest risk of gambling harm.

Kansspelautoriteit Chairman, Michel Groothuizen, has highlighted the need to improve financial protection for vulnerable players. His main strategy is to expand the minimum exclusion period for Cruks and integrate the register with the Central Curatorship and Administration Register. This will ensure seamless monitoring of individuals under financial administration or legal guardianship.