Temptations in the World of Online Gambling
Online gambling is very popular, with ads flying around your face. More and more people are hitting slots and playing blackjack because of the comfort of their homes. It may seem like an innocent game to some, but gambling websites continue to play with all sorts of tricks.
The Remote Gambling Act (KOA)
They will allow you to legally play online with 10 providers from October 1st. TOTO, part of the Dutch lottery, and the Dutch casino are owned by the Dutch state. The online providers must do addiction prevention, and this is done by analyzing the gaming behavior. When creating an account, you are also asked to set a number of limits yourself, such as how many hours you want to be on the site, how much money you can have in your online wallet, and how much money you want to lose.
The law prescribes that extra care must be taken with people between the ages of 18 and 23. As a player under 25, you can therefore not set the limit for losses higher than 400 euros per month, so you lose a maximum of 400 euros at the relevant gambling site. If a player stands out with a possible gambling problem, the online casino is obliged to intervene.
Actual contact with the bait
Therefore, legitimate gambling sites must comply with all sorts of rules in order to deliberately warn and claim to gamble. But on the other hand, continue playing with all sorts of tricks. Marketing expert Bart Meerdink took a look at the TOTO and Holland Casino gambling sites and told me what caught his eye.
For example, a game that depends on your luck is often managed by a real person, a gamemaster, who runs the game live in the studio and you are comfortable in contact with. It encourages you to keep playing, says Meerdink.
Splits
Mathijs Ummels is an experienced expert in the field of gambling addiction. He himself played a dangerous game for about 20 years and lost an estimated € 500,000 before seeking help from his addiction. Mathijs will check in which department the (online) casino is located. On the one hand, there are economic benefits of gambling and on the other hand, there are precautions they must follow. Next comes the question of what is heavier.
An 18-year-old student, Bickel, has also been gambling online since the boredom of the Corona era since legalization. Sometimes he spends hours doing it at night. Due to the stricter rules for young players who need additional protection, they cannot lose more than € 400. But he explains. The system is designed so that if you win 600 euros, for example, you can lose 1000 euros.
Intervention
Tony Van Loei of the Trimbos Institute, the National Institute of Knowledge for Mental Health, Addiction Services and Social Care, responds in the studio. Van Rooij emphasizes that gamblers are often focused on as a very small group that can’t take care of themselves, and the rest can gamble innocently. Van Rooij disagrees with this.
He explains that frequent and often underexposed gambling causes many more problems, including health and financial problems. This creates a snowball effect. Healthy nutrition and sports cost less and the day and night rhythms are confused.
