Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch gaming authority, has shut down several illegal poker tournaments and recovered tens of thousands of euros in cash.
Six tournaments across Amsterdam, Asten, The Hague, Rotterdam and Tilburg were halted by the regulators in conjunction with police and municipalities in the final quarter of 2024. According to the body, significant cash sums were also seized at each location, including €40,000 in one case.
Additionally, last month, the KSA also imposed a €110,00 penalty on the organiser of unlicensed poker.
In doing so, the KSA warned against the dangers of illegal poker tournaments for the player and also due to their links to criminal activity.
It stated: “Illegal poker tournaments are often part of subversive crime, in which criminals use legal businesses (such as catering establishments) or citizens for criminal activities.
“In addition, poker players are at risk of gambling addiction, especially when playing in an uncontrolled environment with high stakes.”
The regulator also emphasised that the Holland Casino is the only entity able to organise on-location poker tournaments for money or anything that can be exchanged for money in the country – a position it has held since 1975.
KSA intensifies sanctioning policy
At the beginning of 2025, the KSA confirmed the implementation of a new sanctioning policy to enhance “guidelines for imposing fines” and elevate “clarity to gambling providers and other parties” under the authority’s supervision.
The policy will apply to all violations that the KSA supervises, covering specific violations determined by the Remote Gambling Act and the Netherlands Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Prevention) Act (Wwft).
The new fine policy is split into five categories, with each category carrying a basic fine amount ranging from €500 to €2m.
On the changes, Michel Groothuizen, Chair of the board at the KSA, stated: “The KSA is becoming increasingly professional as an organisation. After the opening of the online market in 2021, we were given a new category of license holders. In 2022, we imposed a first fine on a license holder.
“We have now gained enough experience to arrive at a well-considered fine policy for both license holders and other parties. This creates clarity for the parties under our supervision and hopefully motivates them even more to avoid fines.”
