The regulator told operators to get rid of the "Share Your Bet" feature because it could encourage betting among people who are already at risk.

Dutch social betting: The Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has told licensed online operators to stop offering social betting features because they encourage people to gamble online in the same way that ads do.

A number of Dutch companies now let you Share Your Bet through social media and messaging apps like WhatsApp.

You can share links to bets with friends, family, and other people you know. People who click through can automatically place the same bet with the operator using their own account.

Possible violation of advertising laws
KSA said on Wednesday that it has gotten a lot of expressions of concern over the function. It also stated it was worried about bet sharing because it may be regarded as a way to promote gambling, which is very limited in the Netherlands.  

It raised concerns about bets being sent or marketed to young or vulnerable groups because operators can't control who sees a bet.

KSA added, "It's a way for providers to promote gambling, but indirectly through players themselves." "Under current law, providers must make sure that ads don't reach individuals that are more likely to be harmed, like kids, young adults, and persons who have a problem with gambling.

"Providers can't regulate who gets the shared messages because gamers with the functionality choose who to communicate their bets to. This means that providers can't be sure that people who are vulnerable won't see gambling ads by accident. Because of this, you can't offer options like "Share Your Bet."

Because of this, KSA told all licensed online gaming sites to take the feature down so they wouldn't break any advertising rules. The regulator didn't give operators a deadline, but it did say that it will keep an eye on the market and take action "where necessary."

There are very strong rules in the Netherlands about marketing and gambling, and anyone under 24 can't market the activity online.

Last week, the new coalition government announced in its agreement document that it was thinking about a complete ban on gambling advertising to "strengthen the duty of care of online gambling providers."

The social side of online gambling
Social media was an early driver of gambling on digital channels, especially mobile betting, which became very popular in the 2010s and helped big companies grow in established markets like the UK.

Request A Bet from Sky Bet, which started on X (previously Twitter) in January 2015, is an example of social betting in action. At first, the feature was small. Every Friday afternoon, the bookmaker would take requests from customers through the site. It became one of Sky Bet's most popular features over time.

Sky Bet also tried Group Betting and other things. Betters may form a group and ask their friends to join. Each player could add a leg to an accumulator and keep track of their progress while the game was going on.

Other companies followed Request A Bet's lead once it did well at first. William Hill launched its "Your Odds" product, and Paddy Power, which is now owned by the same company as Sky Bet, offers "What Odds Paddy."

William Hill reported in 2018 that its Your Odds feature brought in 25% of the group's total World Cup-related winnings.

But as time has gone on, bettors have changed, marketing rules have gotten stricter, and activity on sites like X has levelled off, social betting has grown less popular. In November 2024, Sky Bet got rid of the Request A Bet option.