Holland Casino has publicly responded to a hidden camera investigation conducted by Dutch broadcaster PowNed, pushing back on how the incident was portrayed to viewers.
The investigation saw PowNed reporter Abel Bijlsma attempt to access multiple casino venues using fraudulent identification belonging to a colleague.
Bijlsma, who is registered on the Cruks self-exclusion system, tried to enter five casinos using his own identification and five more using a colleague’s driving licence.
The Netherlands Gambling Authority, known as the KSA, confirmed it would be taking action against Holland Casino’s Eindhoven property following the findings of the investigation.
The KSA also confirmed enforcement action against two separate gaming halls that admitted Bijlsma when he presented the borrowed driving licence.
Despite the criticism, the KSA acknowledged that the results actually demonstrated a functional and effective Cruks monitoring system in several of the tested venues.
Specifically, the self-exclusion system worked correctly in all five instances where Bijlsma used his own identification, and also held firm at two of the remaining five venues he visited.
Holland Casino did not attempt to fully deflect blame, admitting openly that the reporter should not have been permitted entry to its premises on the occasion in question.
The operator’s internal review found that employees had “allowed considerations of hospitality to influence their judgement more than was appropriate and, as a result, did not fully follow the applicable procedure.”
Holland Casino stated that its applicable procedure requires staff to refuse entry whenever any doubt exists over the identity of a visitor attempting to gain access.
Staff at the affected venue have since been reminded of this protocol, signalling that the operator is treating the lapse as a training and compliance matter rather than a systemic failure.
The company pointed toward future improvements, stating that it sees “opportunities to make the system more effective” across its operations.
Holland Casino also offered broader context around the scale of its business, noting that “Holland Casino welcomes millions of visits every year” as part of its response to the coverage.
The case has renewed attention on whether physical venue identity checks across the Netherlands are consistently rigorous enough to support digital self-exclusion tools like Cruks.
Regulators and operators alike will be watching closely as the KSA’s enforcement proceedings against the named properties move forward in the coming weeks.
