Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has warned that more needs to be done to enforce age verification procedures.
The KSA recently polled individuals aged between 16 and 30, which revealed the extent to which underage gambling exists in the Netherlands.
Survey participants were split into three groups: 16-17-year-olds, 18-23-year-olds and 23-to-30-year-olds.
Scratch cards were the most popular form of gambling with those in the first category, while they had also spent their money in other verticals.
Where has Dutch gambling seen the most underage activity within?
Over the past 12 months, 11% of 16-17-year-olds have used scratch cards. In addition to this, 8% of participants said that they ‘occasionally’ play on gambling machines.
7% of individuals had taken part in lotteries, with 5% ‘occasionally’ placing bets on sports. Elsewhere, 2% wagered on esports – with no respondent saying they bet on horse racing.
It was revealed that only 5% of underage users had been refused when trying to purchase scratch cards. As far as slot machines go, that dropped to 1%.
“There is little age control”
Over recent years, the KSA has been cracking down on unregulated gambling activity in the Netherlands.
The KSA expressed their concerns about its findings and had the following to say.
“There is little age control on playing slot machines and buying scratch cards. This is evident from a relatively large share of minors unjustly admitted [to gambling premises] and a small proportion of minors [that were] rightly refused.”
“Strict adherence to, and application of, the age limit of 18 years needs to be an important factor for the KSA when supervising providers.”
The regulator believes that many of the incidents in which minors played scratch cards were due to adults buying the tickets for them. Elsewhere, it was critical of hotels and restaurants for not being strong enough with age verification. 69% of underage individuals played slots in restaurants, with the other 31% gambling in arcades.
