This week, Lee-Ann invites Floris Assies (Founder and CEO, BetterWorldCasinos.com) and Steven Vrolijk (Managing Partner, XY Legal Solutions) to discuss the strategies and current trends in the iGaming industry in the Netherlands. They provide insights into the history of iGaming regulation in the country and the recent changes that have allowed operators and affiliates to enter the market. They also discuss the marketing and strategic landscape in the Netherlands, highlighting the importance of language and cultural factors. The speakers also touch on the challenges and opportunities in the Dutch market, including the highly regulated nature of the industry and the importance of compliance.
Listen in here for all of the insights:
The Importance of Language
Lee-Ann asks, “As a smaller European region, what are some of the big trends that you’re seeing in this market and what are some of the tips that you can give to our listeners, both affiliates and affiliate managers?”
Floris replies, “Well, actually, let’s dive into the point of language that you just pointed out. Because most Dutch people have a high level of English. But still, especially as an affiliate, you want to establish trust. And trust is best established when you approach somebody in their own native language – especially now in the times of AI language models, it’s very easy to just throw things to translators. When this whole thing started, I felt, I heard a lot of content creators saying, “Oh, what’s going to happen to my profession?” Well, they’re all still there and we still need them very much, because language models are mainly trained on English. So, their Dutch is absolutely not good enough.
“You need good copy and good content writers to provide proper Dutch content. So that’s the first thing not to be underestimated. I would, if you’re serious about approaching the Dutch market, I would say you need to do it in the Dutch language. That’s my recommendation.”
Opportunities for Affiliates in the Netherlands
Steven mentions, “I received some topics for this podcast and one asked ‘what would make the Dutch market interesting for affiliates?’ To be completely honest, the market is being heavily regulated, which makes it, of course, a little bit more difficult to get a position. The regulations are hard on affiliates as well. But the other side of things is that the unfocused advertising is going to disappear within a couple of years. So from the 1st of July onwards it will not be possible to sponsor events anymore. It won’t be possible to sponsor sports and t-shirts and stuff like that.
“You could say it’s a hard market for affiliates because there are a lot of regulations, but on the other side, the only acquisition tool left will be a focused one. This means that operators are probably going to be interested in working with affiliates more and more. Simply because there are not really any other acquisition tools left and that’s a legit point making the affiliate sector interesting in the Netherlands.”
A Piece of the Pie
Floris says, “But what I think makes the Netherlands very difficult is that it’s a very small market and it’s very saturated. Look, we only have 600-something-thousand players. So it’s a relatively small pie that we need to share. And because it’s such high value players, there are a lot of big players in the market that like to get a piece of that pie.
“I was just actually discussing it this morning with a colleague. We saw already in the US and UK and other big markets that Parasite SEO has become very big. I actually came across some Parasite SEO in the Netherlands as well. So this means for the people that are not familiar with it, very big publishers that generally don’t have anything to do with this niche, all of a sudden start adding casino content to their sites and leveraging all the authority they already have and in no time start outranking other sites that have been around for a very long time. So it’s a tough market – but a good market. If you make it, then there’s a lot of money to be made. But it’s hard to get in. I think you need a very clear strategy, a very clear focus to get in and to get started.”
Listen to find out more about:
- Compliance with Dutch regulations – including the 95% rule (essential for affiliates in the market).
- A sustainable approach to gambling.
- The crucial role that language and cultural factors play in the Dutch market.
Key segments of this podcast and where you can tune in to go direct:
[12:48] Tips for Affiliates Entering the Dutch Market
[27:28] The Importance of Affiliation for Consumer Protection
[35:00] Compliance and the 95% Rule
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