The Dutch gambling regulatory authority, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has intervened as the operator of the Circus.nl platform, Betca, featured a prohibited gambling advertisement in the mobile game Tiny Tower.
This advertisement promoting an online gambling site was found to violate Dutch advertising regulations, which prohibit gambling promotions in non-gambling digital environments - especially where the audience may include minors or young people.
Following the notification from KSA, Betca immediately took action to remove the advertisement.
The company attributed the issue to human error and has taken steps to prevent similar incidents.
Betca stated that the advertisement was only targeted at users over the age of 24 who had previously visited the Circus.nl website.
Despite this intent, placing the advertisement within Tiny Tower, a casual mobile game with a broad young user base, violated the guidelines.
KSA acknowledged Betca's swift corrective actions and explanations, and decided not to impose further sanctions for the time being.
However, the regulatory body emphasized that it will continue to remain vigilant and monitor the advertising behaviors of Betca and other operators in the future.
This development follows a broader regulatory trend in the Netherlands, which includes recent measures to tighten control over illegal gaming machines and propose age restrictions for high-risk gambling activities.
