The Netherlands’ Minister for Legal Protection, Franc Weerwind, has been urged to back a universal loss limit to the country’s Remote Gambling Act (KOA). Backed by the ChristianUnie (CU) Party, the measure seeks to make up for the deficiencies of the current safer gambling rules.

The proposal would introduce a universal loss limit across the 27 online gambling licensees in the Netherlands. This measure, according to the CU, is needed because the current rules have failed to prevent excessive online gambling.

The universal loss limit will apply across all operators in the country, preventing players from going to play with another operator once they hit the limit.

Mirjam Bikker, leader of the CU, emphasized that the measure has already secured majority support from many parties in the country, including the Christian Democratic Appeal, Conservative Reform Party, Dutch Socialist Party and Green Alliance.

The proposal was submitted to Weerwind who is currently responsible for the ongoing reform of the KOA.

Weerwind Says Such a Measure Would Be Difficult to Implement

Weerwind recently addressed the matter, confirming that he has received the CU’s request. However, the Minister for Legal Protection said that he doesn’t plan to advance the proposal to ministers.

According to Weerwind, a universal limit will be both time-consuming and too complicated to properly implement. Weerwind added that he believes lawmakers should instead concentrate on already existing proposals as the vote looms.

For reference, the minister previously proposed compulsory financial risk checks on player accounts that spend more than €350 a month. Approved by the Ministry of Justice, his proposals also include a €150 non-universal loss limit for customers under the age of 24.

However, the CU pointed out that, since there are 27 legal operators in the Netherlands, young people can still go to another operator once they hit the monthly €150 limit. As a result, they can still spend all their money on gambling.

Representatives of the CU and CDA critiqued Weerwind’s reluctance to tackle gambling addiction head-on and introduce the necessary measures to protect Dutch consumers. The latter party previously argued that the KOA has failed to protect local players from harm and must therefore be abolished.

In the meantime, the Netherlands continues its efforts to protect the safety of local gamblers. To that end, the country recently banned untargeted gambling advertisements, hoping to mitigate some of the damage.

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Cal Chrustie and Peter German have asked for a comprehensive investigation into the ongoing problem represented by illicit funds and suspicious casino transactions in Ontario in the past few years. 

Suspicious Transaction Amounts Went Up by $1M a Day

Between 2019 and 2022, Ontario’s casinos recorded a massive rise in the size of flagged transactions, marking a rise of more than one million per day.

In 2019, the figure had reached CAD$334 million ($248 million), according to data from records obtained via a freedom of information request. By 2022, the same figure recorded an increase of $38 million.

During the same year, state regulators introduced a new set of regulations requiring casino operators to keep detailed logs of players wagering over $3,000 in a single transaction. They were also prompted to ask for the source of the respective funds and keep a close eye on any signs of money laundering. 

According to former Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer Cal Chrustie, in many of these instances where large sums of money are involved, their source is “illicit”. 

The investigator who specialized in complex money laundering and transnational crime cases further explained that while the numbers were “significant”, additional research of the transactions was necessary to issue a clear conclusion.

Chrustie also spoke about the potential money laundering activities that should be regarded as much more than regular financial crime since the illicit gains could fuel criminals like drug traffickers and other agencies that could threaten the security of the country.

The ex-RCMP officer added that relying on police authorities to assess reports of suspicious transactions would not suffice, given their overwhelming number. 

Besides the fraudulent casino funds problem, there is also a high risk of international fraudsters attempting to cheat the legal gambling market in Ontario. However, GeoComply reassured the public that licensed operators in Ontario continue to be the safest to play with, with special emphasis on customers being the highest protected category.

The “Dirty Money” Report on British Columbia’s Casinos

Ex-RCMP deputy commissioner Peter German compiled the “Dirty Money” report on British Columbia casinos. 

The report emphasized a number of recommendations that, when put into practice, were the main reason why the volume of suspicious transactions went down abruptly.

While German explained that it was not possible to draw any clear conclusions relying on Ontario’s raw figures, a lot of insight could be gained by looking at the funds in perspective and understanding the way they were generated. 

German also mentioned the matters of underreporting and overreporting, explaining the need for the regulator to get involved in assessing the quality of these transactions. 

British Columbia regulators introduced a similar set of rules similar to the ones Ontario is now using to considerably reduce the number of suspicious transactions. The measures were implemented after it was revealed the funds were used in a transnational money laundering effort. 

While the regulator had failed to comply with the reporting requirements concerning suspicious cash transactions in the past, the new rules generated excellent results, as presented by B.C. government figures. 

Namely, in 2015, B.C. casinos reported $153 million in suspicious transactions. The figure continued to drop on a yearly basis, reaching $3 million in 2022. In the meanwhile, Ontario’s online gambling industry announced excellent growth during its first year of existence.

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Speaking to one such person, Tammy Brady, the Associated Press found out that the dealer, who started working at the age of 18, had stage 2 breast cancer right now. Brady is 55. The Borgata casino worker did not outright blame in-door smoking on the casino floor, but she did say that there was a lingering doubt whether her job didn’t make her sick – and if it wasn’t an avoidable condition after all.

Associated Press Interviews Cancer Patients who Work in Casinos

Holly Diebler, a craps dealer at Tropicana, is another sufferer, who is currently battling throat cancer. Diebler is confident she wants to keep her job, and doesn’t want to leave it – but once again, there is doubt that it’s the job and the conditions at casino tables that could have made her sick. Banning smoking on casino floors has been a hot-button topic with a bill already pitched, and Gov. Phil Murphy all hawkish on signing it – yet no bill has been pushed through legislation even though lawmakers have vowed to make sure they will see this piece through.

Casinos have objected repeatedly, arguing that ending the exception in the 2006’s indoor smoking ban would only suppress their results. They urged lawmakers to see reason and understand that improving bottom lines were not necessarily a sign of stability as casinos also have to pay a lot to third parties that run online operations, for example.

Yet, critics of this opposition have said that there is little evidence to suggest that casinos would be losing money by banning indoor smoking. Pennsylvania already does it in many of the casinos, and it’s unlikely that New Jersey and Atlantic City will see fewer visitors because people cannot light up while they play. Casinos can introduce dedicated areas where people can smoke.

Arguments Fly in Both Directions

Former Assemblyman Don Guardian was also critical of the issue when speaking to the Associated Press. He noted that he didn’t seek to impose a ban on smoking per se, but rather wanted to take people’s “right to kill others by smoking in a casino.” The argument that there will be a downturn in financial performance also seems patchy, says C3 Gaming, a consultancy.

Casinos that have banned smoking in Maryland and Washington DC seem to be doing well the company says. Meanwhile, critics of the smoking ban say that revenue would fall by 10% and at least one casino is bound to go out of business. Yet, as Janice Green, a dealer at the Tropicana said when speaking to the media, there is nothing wrong in shutting down smoking or asking smokers to smoke in dedicated areas.

It would embarrass the customer, some say, but Green wonders – what is embarrassing about being killed by customers, and how are the two things comparable.

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