KSA Sanctions Two for Unlicensed Dutch Gambling Operations

The Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Netherlands’ authoritative body for gambling, has handed down hefty penalties to two operators, MKC Limited and GoldWin, for offering unauthorized gambling services within the Dutch jurisdiction.

GoldWin faced a substantial fine of €6.7m, prompted by the discovery that Dutch gamblers had unobstructed access to the Malta-situated operator’s domain, Westcasino.com. Upon investigating this site starting December 22, 2022, the KSA found no barriers in place to deter Dutch players. Shockingly, traffic data revealed the website had garnered 843,132 visits from the Netherlands within 2022. Despite announcing a penalty by January 23, a subsequent review on March 2 observed continued access for Dutch patrons unless “employee” was part of the user’s details.

The KSA declared GoldWin in violation of Article 1, paragraph 1 of the Dutch Betting and Gaming Act (WOK). The levied fine equates to 7% of the KSA’s estimated yearly revenue generated by GoldWin from Dutch players, based on each visit generating an assumed €230.2 turnover.

Regarding MKC Limited, its platform, Betworld247, was also openly available to Dutch players without any restrictions or age verification. Initiating an inquiry in May 2022, the regulator found 376,595 unique Dutch visits between June 2021 and May 2022.

KSA’s chairman, René Jansen, stressed the severity of the transgression, especially the exposure of potentially underage players to the platform. He remarked, “The negligence towards player safety within the illicit market is glaringly apparent.”

Lastly, the KSA recently noted a stabilization in the Netherlands’ online gambling sphere’s growth rate. After its market opened, the count of active licenses escalated from an initial 10 to 27, thanks to newcomers like LeoVegas.

Tags: #KSA #DutchGambling #UnlicensedOperations #MKCLimited #GoldWin #GamblingFines #Netherlands #MaltaGamingAuthority