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Association of Gaming Regulator. It is not always made public, but we already share a lot of information, but not information which is so much more sensitive. Of course, we would need assurances that we are allowed to do so and that our politicians and our judges will find it acceptable. I do think it would make us much more effective if we could exchange information in ways that Europol or Interpol do in the world of criminal justice. SP: What barriers do you face in achieving such information sharing? MG: I honestly don’t know yet whether this will be possible or what barriers we might come up against. It could be many years before we get effective Europe-wide agreements, but I would like to try and see if we can be effective, to see if such an approach will be accepted in our courts and that we can go beyond borders. It may not be possible, but I will at least try. And I know that regulators in other countries are willing to do the same and see the need to try. SP: One of the other approaches to tackling the black market is to target the infrastructure around them: the service providers, the payment providers, the big tech platforms, is that something that you’re also considering? MG: Yes, in our organization we have a big program we call Disconnect designed to do exactly that, to disconnect the client from the operator. It is working in all the ways you mentioned and with each part of the economic ecosystem that the black market relies on. We are also looking for collaboration with, for instance, legal affiliates who are taking a responsible approach to promotion of gambling and working only with the licensed sector. We are talking with them about some kind of recognition or stamp that shows they are a trusted partner. We haven’t done that kind of thing so far, but we are at least discussing whether that could be a way. SP: Service providers to the industry are in a competitive market, but they also provide their services, their platforms, their game designs, to both the onshore and offshore markets What’s your view on recruiting the service providers to the battle against the black market? MG: It would be helpful to do this on an international or a European level, but the present situation is not like that. While
we might want to act, we have just one general article in our gambling law forbidding the promotion of illegal gambling. It is quite a stretch and could be seen as disproportionate to use that against payment service providers. So, for that reason, we are encouraging collaboration on a voluntary basis. Does this work? Well, the tech firms and the banks are not exactly looking for ways to support me, but for a Dutch bank, it could be bad for their reputation if they’re not willing to do at least something if illegal operators are seen as a danger to vulnerable groups such as young people, for instance. So while they’re not really eager cooperate, they might fear the risk to their reputation if they are not seen to be helping. Obviously working with a Dutch bank is easier than influencing the big tech companies like Google, Meta, etc., but this is a challenge that everyone in Europe is facing, not only in our field. The power of these big tech companies is something that has to be tackled at a governmental level. SP: We recently researched a piece on influencer marketing in gambling and quoted a report into influencers which found they almost universally believe that crypto casino is the future. With trends like this, do you think it’s better or at least inevitable that crypto transactions are brought into the regulated market? MG: I think we’re getting there as we see that some crypto wallets and coins are now safe, regulated, and controllable. So with my colleagues at the KSA, we do consider regulated crypto is a conceivable model in the long term. However, at this moment there are still an incredible number of complications, and a large part of the crypto market still presents too many challenges, for example regarding the traceability of the origin of the funds. I do think crypto is an interesting feature, and if we look at the attractiveness of the legal offering, we will have to do something about it long term. But legally it is not yet allowed, the political arena may object, and in practice there are still complications. SP: Coming back to where we started, are you optimistic that the tide can be turned and the regulated market rejuvenated? MG: I think if we look at the market, we do see we are at some kind of turning point. But I do believe the market is still viable and the regulated market can be brought back to full health.
IMGL MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2025
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