The Dutch gambling authority continues to hand out fines to operators who fail to meet compliance requirements in the Netherlands iGaming market, with Casino Zoetermeer BV the latest to face scrutiny.
Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has imposed a €25,000 fine on Casino Zoetermeer for allowing players who were listed in the Cruks exclusion register, Gokstop, to gamble in its gaming hall.
In a statement, the KSA said that the failings were discovered following an investigation in 2022, with a judge provisionally withholding the fine’s publication at the request of Casino Zoetermeer.
The operator’s objections to the investigation’s findings were deemed unfounded by the regulator, but this decision was appealed. A judge declared the grounds of appeal unfounded on the merits, resulting in the KSA publication.
However, the KSA added that the appeal was ‘upheld only on the grounds that the reasonable timeframe for the proceedings had been exceeded; consequently, the court reduced the fine to €21,500 on its own initiative’.
Cruks is a requirement for all online and land-based operators operating in the Netherlands to help keep players protected from gambling-related harm, with approximately 118,000 people currently registered.
With the protection requirements, operators must perform identification verification on their players, and the KSA’s 2022 investigation deemed that Casino Zoetermeer was not doing this adequately.
The investigation found that the operator ‘admitted two players who were registered in Cruks at the time’, with the Dutch authority deeming it ‘unaccepetable’ that Cruks wasn’t carried out properly.
The KSA stated: “Players who opt for a gambling exclusion do so to protect themselves and must be able to rely on the fact that this prevents them from gambling with licensed operators required to consult Cruks.
“It is a vital tool for combating gambling addiction and protecting players from the harm associated with high-risk games of chance. The KSA expects all participating operators to perform Cruks checks correctly; it closely monitors compliance and imposes fines where necessary.”
Social media spotlight
The KSA has been enhancing its approach to player protection over the past year, most notably calling out social media companies, such as Meta, for their role in the advertisement of illegal operators on their platforms.
The Dutch gambling regulator has lamented that ‘not nearly enough’ is being done to combat the surge of illicit advertising on the platforms.
KSA Director of Licensing and Supervision, Ella Seijsener, said at Gaming in Holland earlier this year that the regulator was forced to send 26,000 reports to Meta regarding illegal advertising in May, building on over 4,600 sent in April.
Seijsener added that the KSA must now move beyond fines, which have proved largely ineffective, to fight a black market that continues to surge while the country’s regulated market stagnates.
The Director said: “We intend to break down the infrastructure around illegal providers, make it impossible for them to operate in our Dutch markets.
“We are open about the fact that fines are almost impossible to collect and thus are almost never paid. What is more effective is our comprehensive approach by working with hosting providers, banks, payment service providers and marketing companies.”
KSA criticism
Two other operators have received criticism recently from the KSA – TonyBet and VBet.
TonyBet was criticised by the authority for an advertisement which depicted individuals whose jersey numbers, national shirts, and physical characteristics clearly referenced well-known international professional footballers, breaking the use of role models for promotional purposes.
Meanwhile, the KSA also issued a warning to SCGO Limited, operating in the Netherlands as Vbet, for resuming the offering of prohibited betting options after it was found to be offering live bets on events such as a throw-in, foul, corner kick, or offside.
