The gaming regulator for the Netherlands has announced that it is to investigate 25 iGaming sites following allegations that these domains may have been illicitly offering Dutch players the chance to remotely enjoy games of chance.
The Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) watchdog used an official Monday press release to declare that its probe could well result in the examined services being hit with a range of unspecified sanctions including fines. The authority stated that its inspection will also allow it to look into the ‘promoters of those games of chance’ such as advertisers and payment service providers.
Latest landscape:
The newly-regulated iGaming market of the Netherlands went live from the first day of October although the KSA has so far only given a club of ten operators permission to offer local patrons a variety of online casino and sportsbetting entertainment. This move prompted a number of firms that did not get licensed such as Flutter Entertainment and Kindred Group, which are responsible for the domains at PaddyPower.com and 32Red.com respectively, to pull out of the Dutch market altogether in hopes of being able to legitimately return at a later date.
Fixed focus:
The KSA declared that its online enforcement procedures changed from the first day of November with its latest examination ‘a first step in the implementation of this policy.’ The regulator moreover proclaimed that this alteration came in direct response to the preceding month’s licensing of the ten legitimate operators while the severity of the fines it is able to hand out have since been ‘increased significantly.’
Read a statement from the KSA…
“At legal providers, participants in games of chance can play in a safe environment in which there is a reliable game and sufficient attention for gambling addictions. An objective of the law is to ‘channel’ players from illegal to legal providers. Although a number of online providers have ensured that they are no longer reachable from the Netherlands since the policy was changed, others have not.”
Illicit inducements:
The KSA disclosed that it remains committed to tackling unlicensed iGaming operations but will now be looking to target any site with a large number of Dutch punters over those that may simply be accessible by local aficionados. The regulator pronounced that it is additionally ‘keen on specific offers that could draw players away from legal to illegal providers’ such as the provision of games that certified services are currently banned from integrating into their portfolios.
The statement from the KSA read…
“If we find that any of the 25 selected websites can be played from the Netherlands, we intend to take enforcement action.”
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