Illegal gambling providers are consistently punished in Netherlands

There is currently a lot of movement in the gambling market in the Netherlands – and this is not due to a sudden boom, but to the tough line of the gambling authority Kansspelautoriteit (KSA). Anyone who thought they could operate unauthorised platforms in the shadow of legality was wrong. For months, we have been reading about warnings, hefty fines and a clear message: The KSA is not joking when it comes to illegal gambling. And it obviously has the skills, because its course is having an effect.

We have also been reporting more frequently recently on developments in our neighbours. Whether it was strict deposit limits, almost completely banning gambling advertising or tough measures against sponsorship violations – the Dutch do not seem to be turning a blind eye to regulation. You could almost say that they have built themselves a small success model: with a proven channelling rate of at least 87 percent, the legal market remains surprisingly stable. At the same time, however, there is a lively discussion about topics such as a ban on slot machines or the increasing gambling tax, which will be introduced gradually from 2025. Many experts are already seeing the first clouds on the horizon.

But back to the topic: The KSA has just tackled two particularly stubborn cases in its consistent action against illegals. The focus is on the operators Techno Offshore Limited and Novatech Solutions NV. Both offer online gambling in the Netherlands without a license – and the KSA has now made it unmistakably clear to them that this cannot continue. If the companies do not cease their activities immediately, they face weekly fines of 280,000 euros – up to a whopping maximum of 840,000 euros. Anyone who has not yet understood that the KSA is not to be trifled with will have to pay until they get it.

Illegal providers under pressure: The KSA is making the cash registers ring

The Dutch gambling authority is serious – and not a little bit. Anyone who gets caught as an illegal provider and continues to operate anyway can expect “hefty fines”, according to the head of the KSA. The recent cases involving Techno Offshore Limited and Novatech Solutions NV are not exceptions, but rather the new normal.

KSA chairman Michel Groothuizen was clear on the matter in a statement:

• “Illegal providers often act quite cleverly,” explains Groothuizen. The problem: Even if the KSA closes a platform, the same site often simply reappears under a new name or with a different domain.
• The KSA’s announcement: “We will pull out all the stops for providers who knowingly violate our rules.”

And that means: warnings are just the beginning. With so-called penalty notices, the authority ensures that illegal activities are stopped quickly – and there are also hefty fines on top of that. The amounts may not seem particularly impressive for international gaming companies at first – but when they are calculated weekly, the matter quickly takes on a dimension that prompts even the very big ones to take action.

The KSA has a clear advantage here: many offshore operators are based in Curaçao, which is politically part of the Netherlands. This means that the legal processes can be kept comparatively short.

By the way, Blue High House had to accept the “most expensive lesson of the year”

The company was fined a record 1.1 million euros in 2024. Shortly before that, it had already received a fine of 129,000 euros for the same thing: gambling offers without the necessary license.

• Normally, the basic penalty for such violations in the Netherlands is a maximum of 600,000 euros, but in this case the KSA saw serious reasons to almost double the amount.
• The provider had repeatedly and apparently deliberately ignored the rules. Anyone who violates the law so blatantly can be sure that the KSA will react all the more drastically.

Use loopholes? Not with the KSA!

When it comes to circumventing laws, illegal providers keep coming up with new tricks. But the Dutch gambling authority KSA is not impressed. Techno Offshore Limited and Novatech Solutions NV tried it, but – like others – had to accept that the gambling watchdogs are not so easy to shake off.

The cat-and-mouse game with the KSA

In spring 2024, the KSA investigators took a look at Techno Offshore for the first time – and what they found was pretty clear:

• The testers were able to create an account without any problems, deposit money and play Online slots, Baccarat, etc.
• On offer: illegal games that would not be allowed in the Netherlands even with a license.

A follow-up inspection followed in June. Surprise: With the access data created at the time, it was suddenly no longer possible to log in. But – and this is where it gets interesting – the officials were able to simply gain access again with new accounts and happily carry on gambling. The attempt to get out of the affair by blocking known KSA access was half-hearted at best. The authority’s clear message: “We won’t let ourselves be tricked!”

Incidentally, the employees of the German gambling authority really do play with unlicensed providers for their checks. This was only recently explained when the GGL revealed insider information on the fight against illegal online casinos.

Novatech: New pages, new problems

A similar picture emerges at Novatech Solutions NV, which made a sports betting and casino portal available in the Netherlands. Here, too, the KSA found many things that should not have been there during an investigation in June:

• Account creation, deposits and gambling were all possible without any problems.
• Illegal games were also on the list of offers.

When the KSA then checked again in September, the website was suddenly offline. Case closed? No way! Instead, Novatech had simply launched a new platform. Everything was running as usual there, just under a different name – of course also without a license and with the same illegal offer.

The fines now decided should put an end to the activities of the two companies once and for all – at least in Holland. The message is clear: anyone who gambles in the Netherlands without a license – or lets others gamble – is playing with fire. And that burns in their wallets. With each new penalty, the KSA is setting an example: no tricks, no mercy. However, their battle is unlikely to be won any time soon – because our neighbors are in a similar situation to us: new illegal platforms are flooding the market every day.