Netherlands to Begin Live Testing of CRUKS Self-Exclusion System

Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch gambling regulator, has said that this week it is set to begin live testing of CRUKS, the country’s national gambling self-exclusion scheme. The scheme is controlled and managed by KSA, and it is designed to build and maintain a centralized database that will prevent those with gambling problems from joining and playing at online or land-based gambling venues.

KSA is due to launch the Netherlands’ licensing window on 1 March 2021, and ahead of that, it has warned online gambling operators that they must fully comply with the regulator’s conditions regarding referring players to the CRUKS system.

The regulated Dutch online gambling market is set to launch on 1 September 2021. According to conditions set in the Remote Gambling Act (KOA Act), before going live, operators that receive licenses must have integrated directly with CRUKS and carried out testing of its referral system.

Players will be able to access CRUKS using the DigiD system, a form of online ID that also provides access to online services and government websites. When a player then registers with an online operator, or if they wish to visit a land based casino, they must enter their Dutch public service number (BSN), which then generates a code that is compared against the CRUKS database.

If the player is found in the database, then they must be prevented from registering or entering the casino. Operators must save players’ CRUKS codes, but they cannot store the BSN, which is why the code is generated with each sign-up attempt.

More Regulation News