As brick-and-mortar casinos close around the world, online casinos are seeing an uptick in visitors. However, some online casinos offering ‘corona-free’ gaming to promote their Dutch casinos have raised the ire of local gaming regulators.

In Poor Taste

It might be tempting for an online casino to take advantage of the land-based casino closures to rake in some additional gaming dough. But when some internationally-based online casinos began offering ‘corona-free’ play to their Dutch customers, it angered the Dutch gaming regulator, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA).

In the dog-eat-dog world of business, it is common to find a leg up against the competition. But to use a serious global pandemic as a marketing ploy is “completely objectionable” according to KSA chief René Jansen.

At least three offshore online casinos were trying to “take advantage of the fact that arcades and gaming casinos have had to close their doors due to the coronavirus,” Jansen said.

Filling a Void

Strictly speaking, the online casinos in question were simply filling a void in the gaping gambling hole left open by the closure of land-based casinos. In a market economy, supply fulfills demand until there is market equilibrium.

But the KSA says that certain online casinos are taking it too far. They believe that online gambling operators shouldn’t use a deadly pandemic as a bargaining chip to pull in more customers. Maybe it’s just too soon.

There were nearly 1,800 confirmed coronavirus cases in the Netherlands as of yesterday, a number which is growing by the hundreds daily. As there have been nearly 50 deaths from coronavirus, the Dutch government is not very happy about the use of tragedy to spur profit, especially when they claim these cowboy casinos are operating illegally.

The KSA would not identify the offending casinos, but they reminded the public of the Dutch online gambling licenses being offered in 2021. And the way online casinos do business and the image they paint of themselves will weigh heavily in the KSA decision to legally license them – or ban them completely.

 

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Richard Holmes was born in Tampa, Florida and studied computer science at Pensacola Christian College in Pensacola Florida. A devout Baptist, volunteer Sunday School teacher and online gaming fan, Richard works as a part-time systems administrator at Baptist Hospital and part-time professional blogger specializing in statistics, probability and computer science issues. He is an ardent believer in the future of artificial intelligence as a tool for transforming human society for the better, particularly in the area of health care and modern medicine. A chess player, and competitive online gamer Richard actively participates on online gaming tournaments in his free time.