Mr Viral
Recognized as a gambling market with robust regulations, the Netherlands doesn’t permit operators without a license to offer their services. In the event of breaches, the Dutch Gambling Authority, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), takes action by issuing orders or in some cases monetary penalties. In one recent case, the gambling watchdog issued a penalty payment order against an operator that offered its services to Dutch customers without the required license.
Investigation Uncovers Two Websites Without a License Accepting Customers from the Netherlands
The case involves an operator called BlockDance BV. An investigation by the Dutch gambling regulator uncovered those two websites of the operator accepted customers from the Netherlands. Per the KSA, the websites bc.game and bcgame.lu accepted Dutch customers, who were able to create accounts, deposit and gamble online.
Under the existing regulatory framework in the country, operators that do not have a license must not accept registrations or deposits from Dutch customers. In this particular case, according to the KSA, BlockDance did not take the relevant technical measures to prevent Dutch customers from engaging in unlawful gambling.
The gambling watchdog admitted that initially, the gambling operator made the two websites inaccessible to Dutch customers. However, upon a secondary inspection, it was found that the websites once again accepted customers from the Netherlands, prompting the KSA to issue the penalty payment order.
“However, during monitoring, the sites appeared to be available again, which is why an order is now being imposed after all,“
reads a statement released by the KSA
The Operator Is Given Four Weeks to Discontinue Its Offering in the Country
Considering that the KSA found out that the operator’s websites were accessible after the secondary check, it issued the aforementioned order. The gambling regulator gave BlockDance four weeks to ensure compliance with the Dutch regulations by stopping its offering to customers in the country. Failure to comply within that timeframe would result in a penalty of €280,000 ($304,000) per week up to a maximum of €840,000 ($912,000), the regulator explained.
“Within four weeks of sending the order, the company must definitively stop offering games in the Netherlands, otherwise they will receive a penalty payment of €280,000 per week, with a maximum of €840,000,“
Kansspelautoriteit wrote
The action against BlockDance doesn’t come as a surprise, considering that KSA constantly monitors the gambling market in the country. The ultimate goal of this enhanced monitoring is to ensure that consumers are protected from unlawful gambling. At the same time, KSA monitors the activity of licensed operators in the country, ensuring that they comply with the established framework.
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