JOI Gaming hit with €400,000 fine by KSA over young adult advertising

The Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) has fined JOI Gaming €400,000 (£351,872) for breaching advertising rules around marketing to young people.

The Malta-headquartered operator behind gambling website Jacks.nl sent emails to young adults under the age of 24 from December 2021 to March 2022 containing promotional material, including the operator’s games and bonuses.

It was also found that the firm sent six unique promotional emails to young adults, which is also prohibited under the rules set out by the KSA.

The regulator initially issued a fine of €350,000 but increased this due to the seriousness of the violation.

JOI Gaming claimed to have stopped sending these kinds of emails and messages to the under-24s as of 8 March 2022 and argued the rules around this were not made clear by the KSA.

Despite the operator’s argument, it did not change the penalty imposed by the KSA as the regulator had issued guidance regarding advertising to young people in December 2021 and published the Advertising Code for Online Games of Chance (ROK) shortly after.

René Jansen, chairman of the KSA, said: “As far as we are concerned, the legislator is crystal clear: no recruitment activities aimed at young adults.

“In December 2021, the Gaming Authority emphasised even more to licensed providers how the provisions on advertising and recruitment activities are intended. The Gaming Authority considers it serious and culpable that this provider nevertheless focused on young adults.”

This is the second time the KSA has issued a fine to an operator for advertising to young adults

In November 2022, the regulator fined Toto Online the same amount as JOI Gaming for a similar breach.