Dutch Regulator Launches Pilot Campaigns for CRUKS 2.0

Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has initiated a pilot campaign to raise public awareness of CRUKS, the Dutch gambling central self-exclusion register.

Pilot campaigns have been initiated on social media platforms, informing audiences about how to self-exclude from all Dutch licensed gambling operators via CRUKS.

Operated by the KSA, the CRUKS register was launched on 1 October 2021 to coincide with the Dutch government’s introduction of the Remote Gambling Act (KOA) marketplace, regulating online gambling services.

CRUKS allows gamblers in the Netherlands to “voluntarily take a break from gambling.” Once registered, they cannot participate in legal online casinos and other gambling offers in the country for a minimum of six months and up to 99 years.

During H1, KSA launched its revamped CRUKS 2.0 register. The update made it easier to unsubscribe from gambling activities and added an eight-day reflection period for those considering unsubscribing.

The CRUKS tagline also changed from “play break” to “gambling stop,” with a new website redirect.

KSA cited that its pilot campaigns have been initiated to “identify the most effective messages and creative concepts to alert the public of self-exclusion from gambling”.

The regulator will test the most effective channels to raise “awareness of gambling stop, focusing on the most at-risk target groups.”