The CRUKS exclusion register has been activated as of October 2021 by the Kansspelautoriteit, the gambling regulatory authority in the Netherlands. The register is aimed at tackling gambling...Show moreThe CRUKS exclusion register has been activated as of October 2021 by the Kansspelautoriteit, the gambling regulatory authority in the Netherlands. The register is aimed at tackling gambling addiction and protecting consumers. This study forecasts the likely success of CRUKS in meeting these public policy goals by way of comparison with the ROFUS self-exclusion register in Denmark, where a similar gambling regulatory environment exists, but which has also had its register in place for longer than in the Netherlands. Gambling exclusion registers such as CRUKS and ROFUS are examples of digital public sector innovation, with clear theoretical roots in behavioural economics, whereby the vulnerable gambler is offered a ‘one stop shop’ facility for (temporary) removal from gambling channels, while not prohibiting the less vulnerable and recreational player. The extension of the ROFUS register to land-based casinos in Denmark in late 2016 is employed as a cut-off point at which to test its effect on gambling activity in that sector. This policy intervention is shown to have a significant but steady downward effect on gambling activity, suggesting that such a register will likely have a similar effect on the gambling market in the Netherlands. This is particularly important to Dutch gamblers in light of the recent regulation of online gambling in the country, in light of the potential intensifying effects this channel has on problem gamblers.Show less
