Kansspelautoriteit, the Dutch gaming authority, has stated that it will utilise investigative findings to improve the duty of care at gaming halls across the Netherlands.

Throughout December 2023 and January 2024, KSA inspectors visited 20 gaming facilities across the country to investigate how duty of care was being implemented.

Sharing its findings, the gaming authority noted that the majority of gaming halls paid attention to duty of care, but added that its implementation could be improved upon in certain areas.

The KSA stated that gaming halls have taken steps to meet the duty of care requirements in the KOA Act, including preventing and limiting gambling addiction as much as possible, but the “practice is not always sufficiently in line with the expressed good intentions and what is included in the policy”.

“It is striking that the personal circumstances and playing behaviour of regular players are (more or less) known. But there is sometimes a lack of actually addressing players, registering signals and interventions and intervening in the arcades examined,” said the authority.

Long playing times were regarded by all gaming halls as a “worrying signal”, but monitoring methods were not always elaborated and not a single venue investigated applied a maximum playing time, which the KSA stated was “particularly important at arcades that are open 24 hours, because there is no natural “stopping moment” for players”.

The KSA revealed that playing on multiple machines and reserving slot machines was allowed at all gaming halls visited, which while not prohibited, can be a factor in excessive gaming behaviour.

Other excessive gaming behaviour – visiting for a long time and/or with great regularity and a high number of debit card transactions per visit – was not sufficiently monitored by several venues.

Letters were sent by the KSA to the gaming halls following inspections, citing specific improvement points for each location.

The authority concluded: “Guidance will follow later this year for all permit holders, containing an elaboration of the points identified and more specific attention to the duty of care of arcades. The KSA will then monitor compliance with this more strictly.”