The Dutch gambling regulator has warned two operators about showcasing widely recognizable role models in their ads. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

The Dutch gambling regulator has officially warned two gambling platform operators for using widely recognizable people in marketing campaigns. While Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) didn’t name the two offenders, it did provide a description of their transgressions.

One of these companies was a sportsbook that used a well-known soccer player who plays in the country’s biggest professional league to promote its offering. It ran a competition in which one of the prizes was one of this high-profile player’s shirts. The other was a platform offering games of chance and ran an ad using the likeness of a well-known actor. Both promotions are no longer active.

a ban came into place in June 2022

Companies are not permitted to use role models such as celebrities, athletes, or social media influencers in their ads since a ban came into place in June 2022. The main exception is the use of these types of people for promoting what the KSA deems to be less risky games of chance like lotteries.

The main goal behind this rule is to stop high-profile individuals from influencing underage people to engage in gambling. Talking about the steps that operators have to take before using a noteworthy person in an ad, they should “first research that person’s reach among minors and young adults.”