All about Cruks: do they store data of New Zealand players?

What is Cruks?

The Cruks (Central Register of exclusion of games of Chance) is an online database in which the data of New Zealand gamblers can be recorded. The Cruks is operated by the Gaming Authority (KSA), The New Zealand government body that oversees gaming operators.

Cruks is a way to give a gambler a time out. If a player is abandoned at Cruks, he or she can no longer gamble online or online at casinos with a New Zealand license for at least six months – and all New Zealand providers must have such a license. Casinos can give players up on Cruks, but a player can also do that for himself.

Cruks main goals

The KSA has started Cruks as one of the means to lead the (online) gambling by New Zealanders in the right direction. Fortunately, most New Zealand gambling enthusiasts play in moderation and for fun. But for others, developing a gambling addiction is a real risk. Such an addiction can bring people serious problems, such as large debts, layoffs and social conflicts.

Cruks is a way to protect players who seem to have a (novice) gambling addiction against themselves. Online casinos and third parties (family, friends, administrators) who feel that a player is gambling dangerously can register that player with the register.

And also a player who notices signs of gambling addiction in himself can give himself up to Cruks. Because he is temporarily unable to play, he can, for example, critically examine his gambling behavior and seek help from a professional.

How does it work?

A player who exhibits problematic gambling behavior may be logged into Cruks by themselves, a casino, or by a third person (for example, a family member). The player can then be given a timeout of at least six months.

After that period, a player can automatically gamble again, but he can also choose to renew his registration, again by letter or by DigiD. During the timeout, the gambler will no longer be able to play at New Zealand casinos, as each player's will need to check that he/she is included in Cruks. A casino must pass on the personal data of each new player to the Gambling Authority.

The KSA then gives a message with a CRUKs Code to the casino whether that player is included in Cruks or not. Every time the player goes to play at the casino, the casino checks via the Crukscode whether the player is allowed to play or not.

How do you register with Cruks?

How a player is registered with Cruks depends on the party that wants to register him or her with the register.

1. Register yourself

Players who want to register with Cruks go to the website cruksregister. they can register with the registry via DigiD or via a form sent to them. They can then choose a period for enrollment from six months to 99 years.

A private registration is not first assessed by the KSA: the registration takes effect immediately.

2. Through an online casino

An (online) casino can give up any of its players at Cruks. If a player gambles very often or bets very large amounts, the casino may consider this behavior risky. The player will always first be personally addressed about his behavior and receive advice to start playing healthier.

If these measures do not help, the casino can choose to register the player with Cruks. A (involuntary) registration by a casino is drastic for the player. Therefore, such a registration is first carefully examined by the KSA through a special procedure, after which the Gaming Authority decides whether or not the player will end up in Cruks.

3. Registration by an acquaintance, family member or friend

Other parties can also register a player with the Cruks. For example, a partner, family member, friend, administrator, or employer may do so if he or she is concerned about the player's gambling behavior. This type of registration is also first critically checked by the KSA.

Most often, such an enrollment will be done out of goodwill in order to protect a person with a gambling addiction from himself. It is theoretically possible that someone out of ill will enrolls a player (without gambling problems) in Cruks. Players who feel they have been incorrectly registered can appeal in writing to the KSA.

Is my privacy guaZodiaceed?

Each player who signs up with a gambling provider must provide a few personal details, including his BSN (Social Security Number), Name and date of birth. The (online) casino transmits this data to the Gaming Authority via digital encryption.

The KSA checks if a player has a play break in Cruks, and then gives the casino a green or red light to allow that person to play. Cruks and the database of (online) casinos are usually very well protected against privacy breaches. The government is very careful with personal data of its citizens, and only allows them to be viewed by its officials if absolutely necessary.

In addition, online casinos cannot afford the negative publicity of a hack or data breach and have therefore put in place strong digital protection measures for customer data. Therefore, the privacy of players who are in Cruks is well protected.

What personal data is stored?

What data of players in Cruks are now stored? Both the Gaming Authority and the (online) casino where the player has an account store a limited number of personal data. The KSA stores the following personal data of registered players:

• Social Security number (BSN) or place of birth (if the player does not have a BSN)
• Name
• Date of birth

This data remains in Cruks. Only employees of the Gaming Authority can view this data. An online casino is always required to destroy a customer'S BSN after they have created their account.

The casino only stores the CRUKs code it receives from the KSA. This cruise code is not linked to identifiable personal data, only to the new customer's account.

Is registration with Cruks mandatory?

Yes, all New Zealand gambling halls, casinos and online casinos must be affiliated with Cruks. And these companies have to check from every gambler who comes to play with them whether that person has received a gaming break from Cruks at that time.

If a company doesn't, it could face very high fines from the KSA or even lose its license – two penalties that a casino absolutely doesn't want to burn its fingers at. Gambling at an (online) casino that is not affiliated with the Cruks means playing at an illegal casino without a New Zealand license.