The regulatory authority in the Netherlands, known as Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has given its first penalty against a social media influencer for the promotion of gambling activities. This has resulted in a fine after multiple written warnings about the streaming of gambling content. 

The KSA recently began a crackdown on influencers promoting gambling content, believing that it targets a young demographic and introduces them to gambling at too young an age. They added that these creators have also been targeting other vulnerable groups. The KSA has also stated that it has seen a marked increase in this activity, with influencers posting images and videos linked to illegal gambling.

Fine Issued to LeftlanePapi

A fine was issued to the YouTuber, LeftlanePapi, who has the real name Djade Sadloe. It was issued in early July. Touting himself as a musical artist, the creator seems to delve across many disciplines, one of which is social media content creation. Even some of his songs have gambling themes, with a 2024 track named Blackjack. He had been posting live streams of gambling sites that were not legal in the country, with information that encouraged people to play and sign up.

There is even one video in which LeftlanePapi acknowledges the illegality of his content. He says that any stream is only kept up for 12 hours, then deleted, because he knows how YouTube and the KSA are with him and that he does not want any headaches.

So far, the tactic used by the KSA has involved two methods. Once an influencer or platform has been noted to be actively promoting illegal gambling content, a 48-hour compliance notice is given. This requests that they cease all related action, along with the removal of any existing content. In this case, the notice was ignored.

As well as contacting influencers, when this type of notice is ignored, the KSA contacts social media platforms. This ensures content is removed as they begin proceedings against the creators. It is believed this acts as a deterrent against future violations. Penalties can be as high as €25,000 per violation, with a maximum cap of €75,000. The KSA also added that several other influencers have been given warnings.

Gambling Influencing Around the World

The online casino industry in Europe has grown exponentially, meaning heightened levels of competition for operators. Many legislations have meant tight restrictions on how they can advertise and thus attract new players. However, many methods are extremely positive, adding value to customers’ experiences.

One positive way is through bonuses. Figures from Zamsino.Casino indicate that some casino welcome bonuses can give up to a 400% match. This is often combined with free spins, and further to that, a weekly welcome bonus. These are on rated and reviewed websites, suggesting that players have help finding the most trustworthy ones that adhere to rules and regulations across the world.

The Spelinspektionen, Sweden’s gambling regulator, has also begun to crackdown on influencer gambling content. This has mainly been on Twitch, a platform where 31 million daily users go to stream gaming content. They found several influencers who had streams to illegal gambling sites, which offered direct links and bonus offers. Just like the Netherlands, warnings have been issued, but as of yet, it is unknown if there have been fines.

This has seen a general tightening of rules around the world involving celebrities and influencers having rules adapted on what they can and can’t promote. Romania’s National Audiovisual Council has recently placed a ban on celebrities appearing in gambling advertising. This was after recent campaigns involving sports personalities such as Ilie Dumitrescu and pop stars like Alex Velea. There have been parties who have tried to draft proposals that do not include a full ban, instead choosing one where celebrities can be used to endorse responsible gambling.

Should the United Kingdom Toughen Up?

While the UK has a robust system for combating marketing for gambling to vulnerable groups, so far it seems to be overlooking influencer content. That is the view of a UK charity, Deal Me Out, which released a report which stated players were being driven to the black market by influencer content.

Published on the 9th of April, the report added that up to 5 million clicks each month were leading from affiliate links by streamers to illegal gambling sites. In some cases, they also gave advice on how to access them with VPN software. Deal Me Out also estimated that around 420,000 underage school children could be using black market gambling sites.

Gambling in the United Kingdom is currently undergoing a huge reform. As a fairly new sector, laws being introduced often have adverse consequences. One worry the charity has is that the requirements for more personal information simply drive people away to offshore operators.

The United Kingdom can learn a lot from other countries in this respect. It should see how places like the Netherlands and Sweden have acted, plotting similar courses and adapting as needed. Only then, and with the help of social platforms, can they hope to regulate or outright ban marketing for gambling through influencers.