When the new regulated online gambling industry opens in the Netherlands next month, unlicensed operators should beware. The gambling authority, De Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), outlined a series of penalties and rules that it plans apply to these operators, promising also an “intensification of enforcement.”
In 2019, KSA introduced basic fines of €200,000, but the authority said that this time around, numbers would be even higher. KSA said that it would be targeting unlicensed operators which attracted the most Dutch players. If it found that the turnover generated from Dutch players exceeded €15 million at illegal sites, the operators would be fined 4% of their turnover – or a minimum of €600,000.
KSA also threatened that it may even push the fines higher if there were aggravating circumstances involved, such as if the operator targeted vulnerable or minor players.
Other issues that it intends to examine include the types of games offered by the illegal operator, consumer protection measures and prevention of crime.
The chairman of KSA, Rene Jansen said: “It must pay off to apply for a permit and to offer it legally instead of illegally. That also means that it must really hurt financially if an offer is made illegally.”
The authority said that the intention of the new gambling law was to “channel players from illegal to legal providers.”