The Netherlands Gambling Authority, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), was recognized for its dedication to responsible gambling with a new award.
Late last week, the Authority announced it was honored with the Bronze Effie Award in the Social Category for its campaign "Get your life back on track, stop gambling."
KSA's initiative raised awareness of Gokstop
The campaign, organized by the gambling regulator in collaboration with FCB Amsterdam, ran for a total of eight weeks.
During that time, the "Get your life back on track, stop gambling" initiative helped raise awareness of Gokstop, the popular Dutch gambling self-exclusion service.
Notably, awareness of Gokstop increased among frequent gamblers from 17% to 29%.
On the other hand, among problem gamblers, the awareness of the gambling exclusion service increased from 41% to 50%.
Not unexpectedly, the campaign helped propel Gokstop registrations, with sign-ups doubling by surpassing 3,600 people.
According to the KSA, those registrations came in addition to the usual influx of individuals who accepted a ban from gambling.
"Responsible gambling starts with conscious choices, and also with quitting"
The responsible gambling campaign by the KSA and FCB Amsterdam leveraged a targeted digital approach.
The "Get your life back on track, stop gambling" initiative had a limited budget of just over €100,000 ($116,000).
However, despite the cap on resources, the campaign achieved significant success during the two months it ran.
"Responsible gambling starts with conscious choices, and also with quitting," a statement released by the Dutch gambling regulator reveals.
Notably, the campaign focused on three specific groups: problem gamblers, frequent gamblers and their loved ones.
A primary focus of the campaign was the hope for change and the gamblers' ability to take control of their lives.
Central role in the "Get your life back on track, stop gambling" initiative were tangible and relatable short stories on topics such as football, party, guitar and Christmas.
"Simply life itself, back in their own hands," the KSA said about the short stories part of the campaign.
Back in October, the gambling watchdog announced a €2.65m fine against BetCity, alleging the operator failed to protect young gamblers from problem gambling.
