Dutch Close Loophole That Allowed Minors to Gamble

A loophole that may have allowed minors to gamble online in Holland has been addressed by the Dutch Government. The loophole, which was identified by the national gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), allowed under-aged people to deposit funds into accounts and place bets.

The government and regulator both stressed that it is not aware of any examples of the loophole being exploited. However, a number of operators were allowing deposits of funds from bank accounts other than the player’s own. Franc Weerwind, the Netherlands’ new minister for legal protection, confirmed that KSA had addressed the issue with operators who would ensure that it is no longer possible.

Weerwind also references a problem with Holland Casino’s online offering. It allowed players who were logged into an account of a person with the same family name to link their own payment details. However, this issue has now been resolved.

When creating a player account, the identity is established and verified, among other things, by means of a check on the Citizen Service Number. In addition, a player must identify himself every time he or she wants to access his player account, for example, by means of username and password. In addition, only money can be deposited with a payment account that can be unambiguously traced to the person of the player. This minimizes the chance that a minor can actually play with a licensed provider.

Franc WeerwindMinister for Legal Protection