Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) says the ban on gambling sponsorships in sports in the Netherlands has been successfully introduced “almost without issue.”
The country’s gambling regulator said of collaborations between sports teams and gambling operators that “almost all public displays have disappeared.”
The ban on sports sponsorship from gambling companies was a key part of the ban on untargeted gambling advertising that came into force in the Netherlands in July 2023.
This immediately cracked down on advertising in public spaces and buildings, but there was a transition period until July this year for sponsorship of sports teams to reflect the long-term nature of such deals.
The KSA said it noted a “few minor violations” in the first week after the ban took effect, but that the companies in question were sent a letter ordering them to end their association within the same week.
The crackdown on gambling advertising has been a key source of fuel for the debate about gambling regulation in the Netherlands.
The market, like many others across Europe, is in the spotlight for its efforts in tackling the unregulated market – and how its supervision of the regulated space factors into that.
Last week, the KSA admitted that recently introduced deposit limits may be fuelling illegal market activity, even if they are reducing average loss per player.
Read more: European gaming operator leaders call for 'smarter' regulation
