Illegal online casino fined record €37m for serving Dutch players
The gambling regulator (Kansspelautoriteit) has imposed its highest fine yet for illegal gambling offers, on a company that, it says, let people in the Netherlands gamble without checks.
The Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa), the gambling regulator, has fined the company EOD Code SRL €37m for offering online gambling in the Netherlands without a licence. It is the highest fine the Ksa has so far imposed for illegal gambling offers. The company runs websites including Instantcasino and Skyhills.
The Ksa had already warned the company and issued it with an order backed by a penalty payment (last onder dwangsom). The Ksa says the company did not stop. According to the Ksa, its staff could still gamble on the sites, and the company had taken no measures to keep Dutch players out.
The investigation began with Instantcasino. The Ksa says it then found eleven other websites in the same network, including slotmonster.com, betiro.com, betblast.com and luckypays.io.
According to the Ksa, the sites had no visible age check, which puts vulnerable players at risk. Visitors could also deposit money in cryptocurrency and other anonymous payment methods, which the regulator says encourages money laundering.
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Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa)
The Dutch Gambling Authority is the regulator that supervises gambling in the Netherlands. It grants licences to companies that offer online games of chance to players in the Netherlands, and it enforces the Dutch gambling laws, including those rules. It can impose fines and take other action against companies that offer gambling here without the required licence.