New responsible gambling rules came into place on Monday in the Netherlands and operators have until October to comply. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

A raft of new rules relating to responsible gambling are now in place in the Netherlands. Despite the changes coming into effect on Monday, the Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) said that it will give operators until October to become complaint as it will take time to update backend systems and potentially get new employees on board.

One of the biggest changes requires operators to carry out a financial check if a user between the ages of 18 and 24 makes a deposit exceeding €300 ($326) or customers who are at least 25 years old add over €700 ($761) to their accounts.

the platform has to block all further deposits for a calendar month

If the analysis concludes that the individual can’t afford that level of gambling then the platform has to block all further deposits for a calendar month. The KSA outlined some notable exceptions to these limits, such as professional poker players who need to add big sums to their accounts when entering tournaments.

More significant real-time monitoring of gamblers is also necessary both online and at land-based facilities. Interventions are required when someone exhibits warning signs such as long playing sessions late into the night, frequent deposits, and betting for more than six hours every day.

Some industry stakeholders claim that the new restrictions could hurt the regulated sector in the Netherlands and lead to residents turning to black market platforms.