The Dutch Gambling Authority, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has issued a formal warning to BetMGM for featuring 17-year-old FC Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal in a recent advertising campaign.
A clear violation of national gambling laws, under Dutch law, gambling operators are banned from using role models who appeal to minors in promotional content.
This particularly refers to football players who are as young and high-profile as Yamal, a player who has already played for Spain’s senior national team since the age of 16.
The campaign in question was produced and published by the editorial staff on BetMGM’s official website, where a media company affiliated with the company noticed the advert and flagged it internally.
Yet, despite being legally required to notify the KSA of such errors, BetMGM failed to report the incident to the regulator and proceeded to publish the campaign.
However, despite BetMGM not reporting the Lamine Yamal ad, the KSA decided not to impose a major penalty, stating that BetMGM “quickly ended the violation and took adequate measures to prevent a recurrence.”
Consequently, the Dutch authority opted to issue only a formal warning rather than impose a fine or suspension.
This development comes during a sensitive period in the Netherlands, as the country is preparing a major regulatory shift.
More specifically, starting 1 July 2025 and after a 2-year transitional period, the country will impose a full ban on sports sponsorships by gambling operators.
The KSA has said that it plans to remain vigilant when it comes to monitoring suspicious activity from regulated operators in the country during this period, and moreover, vowed to take serious action against those who violate Dutch gambling laws.
