The Dutch Gambling Authority (KSA) has issued a warning to VriendenLoterij for inappropriate advertising in a major Dutch newspaper. VriendenLoterij immediately removed the article from the internet.
Lotteries regularly use so-called “winner stories” to promote their gambling games. This is permitted, but gambling may not be presented as a solution to personal or financial problems in such a story. The KSA received a report from a citizen that VriendenLoterij featured a winner story about a participant who was able to pay medical bills with the prize money he won.
By presenting gambling as a solution to personal or financial problems, people may end up spending more money on gambling than they had originally planned. According to the KSA, it is therefore not permitted and inappropriate to advertise with winner stories that relate to, for example, homelessness, medical problems, funeral costs or paying overdue bills.
