The Dutch Gambling Authority Turns Odds in Life’s Favour with Bold Campaign

The Dutch Gambling Authority’s (Kansspelautoriteit) self-exclusion campaign ‘Gokstop’ enters its second phase with a digital-first strategy, featuring new online videos, social assets and testimonials. Real-life stories from ‘self-excluded gamblers’, such as former gambling addict Dave van der Schaaf, add an emotional dimension to the campaign. After battling a gambling addiction for 14 years, Dave committed to a 99-year voluntary self-exclusion from gambling. Creative agency FCB Amsterdam also developed this follow-up campaign.

100,000 self-excluded gamblers

The Dutch Gambling Authority’s self-exclusion (Gokstop) campaign has contributed to more than 100,000 Dutch citizens registering in the Central Gambling Exclusion Register (Cruks). Each week, between 300 and 500 people opt for voluntary self-exclusion, half of whom are under the age of 32.

“Reaching the milestone of 100,000 self-excluded gamblers (‘gokstoppers’) is bittersweet. It underscores the scale of gambling addiction, while also showing that more and more people with gambling problems are finding this tool, taking active measures to protect themselves, and reclaiming control,” said Franklin Neuteboom, senior communications adviser at the Gambling Authority.

AI panel of people with gambling problems

In both the first and current phases, FCB Amsterdam has used Artificial Intelligence (AI) to better understand and connect with a target audience that is often invisible and hard to reach: people at risk of, or experiencing, gambling problems, who are typically unreceptive to traditional communication.

​Dennis van Aalst, strategy lead at FCB Amsterdam, explained, “By combining our human intelligence (HI) with AI to create a panel of people with gambling problems as a virtual sounding board, we’ve started a dialogue that didn’t exist before. This has given us insights into how we can reach, engage, and motivate even the most invisible individuals struggling with gambling.”

​ “Quitting gambling has simply given me so much. It has actually given me a new life. Where I once sat in loneliness, stress, tension, you name it, the darker side of emotions, I now experience joy, freedom, and peace. I also feel strong, even proud, and secretly I’m beginning to develop a little bit of self-love too. That’s something I haven’t felt in years. So that’s what quitting gambling has given me so far,” said self-excluded gambler Dave van der Schaaf.

Driving behavioural change

The campaign is part of an always-on strategy, using Demand Gen to capture audience signals and identify users based on relevant online behaviour, whether they gamble occasionally, actively or are searching for help. Through targeted campaigns on Google, YouTube, Meta, and Snapchat, the initiative directly engages the audience and inspires behavioural change, helping people ‘turn life itself into their favourite game’.

With the slogan ‘Take back your life, take a Gokstop’ (Pak je leven weer op, neem een Gokstop), earlier videos and social assets each highlighted a different “moment of strength”: family, sports, and hobbies. The new online video focuses on social connections, supported by a testimonial and animation to further deepen the message.

“Our approach for the Gambling Authority comes from our ‘boundless in business’ mentality. By combining human curiosity, creativity, and AI, we deliver solutions that go beyond the expected. Through deep listening and truly understanding needs, we use creativity to make a real impact,” said FCB Amsterdam CEO Jos Vis.