Kansino's rise: Play north's journey in the Dutch iGaming scene

Online gambling was legalised in the Netherlands as recently as 2021. Play North® (with a base in Malta), saw an opportunity to grow a respectable online casino platform that catered to a Dutch audience. It is the force behind the Kansino brand, which has become extremely well-known in the Netherlands in the last few years and has quickly cemented its place at the core of the iGaming landscape in the country.

Kansino is increasingly popular in the Netherlands, providing a safe space for responsible gamblers to play their favourite casino games online, and this has all been down to the ethos of Play North®, so how exactly has the umbrella company hit the heights so soon in a new country? 

Legalisation of online gambling in the Netherlands

With such a strong appetite for online gambling, it made a lot of sense that the growing calls for new legislation would be listened to. Before this, gamblers who wanted to play online would require a VPN to access online casinos based in different countries, but this changed with the Remote Betting and Gambling Act which opened up the iGaming landscape to the entire Dutch population. 

The history of Play North®

Play North® was founded in 2018, which in the grand scheme of things is not that long ago. Despite being a company in its relative infancy, it has made great strides over a short period of time after humble beginnings as a small company in Estonia with just one licence and brand. It has quickly established itself, with an office in Malta and a journey that has targeted the markets which were on the rise and looking to regulate. This is what made the Netherlands in particular such an intriguing market. Dutch people have always liked to gamble, but online gambling was only legalised in 2021. Once this news was announced in 2020, it became a target for Play North®. 

What does Play North® stand for and how does it impact Kansino’s growth?

When Play North® was founded, one of the main pillars of its core identity was that it would focus on compliance and regulation with a view to offering fair, responsible gambling to its players. The idea is to build long-term trust with players and to show them that they are at the heart of every decision made by the company. As Kansino falls under the Play North® umbrella, these elements are seen throughout the platform, the gameplay, and the way in which the brand interacts with its customers. Responsible gambling is important and with Kansino itself the key differences between its online casino platform and others include: 

• Focus on responsible gambling

Strict regulations have been implemented on the Kansino site, ensuring that there are safe limits and safe play at all times. There are age limits in place, with the number of hours that can be played by those aged under 23 limited, as well as tight loss limits and a cross-check with the CRUKS register during the registration process to double-check on players with potential gambling addiction troubles. 

• Great customer service

24/7 customer service interaction is crucial to building trust with players, especially when it lines up perfectly with the ethos of responsible gambling. Agents are fully trained to understand the signs of problem gambling and to be proactive when those signs are spotted in players. 

• Secure payments

Kansino uses the popular iDeal payment method, which is the secure way to make payments in the Netherlands, with a huge share of the country’s market of online payment processes. It gives players a familiar, safe and secure environment to deposit funds into a Kansino account. 

• No bonuses or promotional offers

There are no bonuses or promotional offers to entice new players or to retain existing players in the same way as you see on almost every other online casino platform. Instead, the focus from Kansino is to deliver high-quality games, with the highest paying version of games where there is a variable RTP. 

• Kansino’s choice of games and live casino

Kansino is designed to be a colourful platform that looks great and entices the player in, but that can back it up with a wide range of engaging games that include the animated, automated online versions of your favourite casino games where players play alone against the computer. There are thousands of online slots to choose from, with such a vast array of themes and gameplay within this sub-genre of online casinos. Dutch players love gokkasten (slots), so there has been a real focus on building up a fantastic catalogue of slots from traditional slot themes to sporting themes, fishing, backdrops in Ancient Egypt and Greece, as well as Candy Crush-style slots and leprechauns searching for their pot of gold.

The development of a live casino in the Netherlands pushes the innovation even further and Play North® is committed to maintaining the high standards that it has already delivered with Kaninso. The live casino games provide players with the chance to play authentic casino games streamed live from a studio, with Dutch-speaking tables promoting greater engagement with a Dutch audience and strengthening those long-term customer bonds that will promote even greater growth over the coming years.

Disclaimer: Players must be 18 years + to partake in any gambling, betting or casino activity. Players are urged to seek help if they require it. Players play at their own risk.