Dutch gambling authority Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has sanctioned both Royal Panda and LeoVegas after the two operators were found to be offering games of chance to consumers within the country.
The KSA emphasised that “online gambling is currently prohibited”, and subsequently handed Royal Panda a €400,000 while LeoVegas was issued with a fine of €350,000.
The fines follow on from research carried out by the KSA during the latter half of 2018 and early 2019, which revealed that the two gaming operators, “despite this prohibition, still focused on the Netherlands with their offer.”
As part of the ruling, it was emphasised that both companies were accessible to the public via a Dutch IP, as the KSA offered examples of actions that constituted the receipt of the two penalty fees, including the option to wager using the Dutch iDEAL payment method.
Both sites also offered a number of games of chance to the public, which including sports betting, casino titles and virtual slot machines.
Earlier this year, Kindred Group was fined €470,000 by the KSA after it was found to be in breach of the legislative terms set by the ‘1964 Gambling Act’.
Kindred explained that the KSA had sanctioned the penalty to its Malta-based trading subsidiary Trannel International Ltd for accepting wagers from Dutch customers in violation of 1964 Gambling Act regulatory provisions.
As it stands under Dutch legislation, all physical or online gambling offerings are illegal with Holland Casino the only exception.
Providing an update on the impending change to Dutch law the regulator commented in a media statement: “In February this year, the Senate passed the Remote Gambling Act (Koa). The law is currently being worked out in more detail. It will soon be possible to obtain a license under strict conditions for offering games of chance via the internet. Supervision is then possible, allowing players to play protected.
“The Ksa takes action against illegal gambling providers because there is no check on the fairness of the game. It is also impossible to check whether vulnerable groups, such as minors, are being excluded from participation.”
Source:SBCnews.com