Dutch gambling operator flags unauthorised sports bets
The KSA has warned that several operators offered bets on under 21 matches and amateur sports.
The Netherlands.- The Dutch gambling regulator, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has reported that several licensed gambling operators in the Netherlands had been found to have offered unauthorised sports bets. It said its investigation identified seven operators as having offered bets on under 21 and amateur matches. This is prohibited under Dutch law due to concerns that such matches are more prone to manipulation for betting purposes.
Two operators were also found to have allowed bets on the number of yellow and red cards and corner kicks in matches globally during the 2023/24 season, which is also prohibited.
The KSA did not name the operators involved but said they had been summoned and ordered to remove the betting options and not to offer them again. The regulator has also issued a general reminder and warning that betting providers should self-report incidents that might breach regulations.
It said that it will carry out checks in the future to ensure that such betting options do not reappear. It said it may issue sanctions if they do.
Bets on amateur and under 21 events are banned in various territories due the fear that younger players and non-professionals are easier to manipulate, posing a threat to sports integrity. Several countries have been stepping up measures in this area, with Sweden adopting a new cooperative framework against match-fixing in March. The platform is supervised by the gambling regulator Spelinspektionen as a new regulatory duty.
This year, Sweden and Spain joined the Macolin Convention, a commitment to protect the integrity and ethics of sports against the potential manipulation of results adopted by the Council of Europe in 2014. The Macolin Convention is It came into force in 2019 and currently has 34 signatories: 32 European member states plus Australia and Morocco. It has been ratified by France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, the Republic of Moldova, Switzerland and Ukraine.
