Dutch regulator increases financial penalties ahead of new regulatory regime
KSA cites lack of teeth of current penalties as reason for increase of fines for operators without a licence
The Dutch Gambling Authority (KSA) is to increase its financial penalties for operators found to be offering egaming in the Netherlands without a licence.
From today, operators could face fines starting at €200,000, up from the previous €150,000 floor. The KSA has confirmed this is an interim step ahead of a thorough revision of its penalties policy.
KSA chair René Jansen said the previous fines were “not terrifying enough”, having previously cited the lack of payment by operators.
In January, the KSA said there was an “undiminishing” demand for egaming in the Netherlands and that the use of penalties had “little effect” on assuaging this demand.
“There is no room for illegal providers,” Jansen added. “That is why we intend to thoroughly review our penalties policy for the future. The updating of the fines policy is now only a first step.”
Although the €200,000 is meant as a starting figure, the KSA has said fines can increase in relation to the number of websites or games being offered, the amount of deposits or bonuses being offered and the use of “irrelevant” communications about licences and monitoring.
In addition to these criteria, any site found to be offering live betting to Dutch players will instantly have its fine increased by a fixed rate of €75,000.
Operators who have previously received a warning from Dutch regulators will see any subsequent fine automatically increased by 25% while those been fined for offering egaming to Dutch players under the prioritisation criteria will see any subsequent fine doubled.
These new standards are meant to dissuade operators from targeting the Dutch market ahead of the introduction of the full regulatory and licensing regime. Under the new regime, operators who have been fined will be subject to a two-year “cooling-off” period in which they will be unable to apply for a licence to operate regulated egaming.
The new fine rules will apply to all enforcement cases which start from 1 March 2019.