Dutch gambling regulator launches new fines policy

The KSA will issue fines of up to €2m plus a percentage of operator revenue.

The Netherlands.- The Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has published a new general fines policy outlining guidelines for how it will impose financial penalties on gambling companies. The regulator says the policy should give providers more clarity on how fines are issued.

In force since January 1, the new general fine policy applies to all types of licence violations that the KSA supervises. Separate policies relating to illegal online supply and the illegal exploitation of gaming machines and gambling terminals will continue to operate.

The new policy includes five categories, with a basic fine in each category between €500 (category 1) and €2m (category 5). Fines in the fifth category are only imposed for Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing Act violations (Wwft violations). For other violations, the highest category (category 4) includes the possibility of a turnover-related fine of 3 per cent of an offender’s gross turnover, which the KSA says is intended to increase the effectiveness of the fine.

KSA chairman Michel Groothuizen said: “The KSA is becoming increasingly professional as an organisation. After the opening of the online market in 2021, we were given a new category of licence holders. In 2022, we imposed the first fine on a license holder. We have now gained enough experience to reach a well-considered fine policy for both licence holders and other parties. This creates clarity for the parties under our supervision and hopefully motivates them even more to avoid fines.”

You can download the full document in Dutch from the KSA’s website.

Throughout 2024, the KSA implemented a policy of issuing fines against unlicensed gambling operators. The most recent target was FBC BV, which was issued a warning related to its site Freebitco.in. The KSA said the crypto casino operator would face weekly penalty fees if it did not block its offering in the Netherlands.

The KSA said the operator had been offering online gambling in the Netherlands without a local licence. Claiming to have 54 million registered users internationally, Freebitco.in offers hi-lo jackpot and lottery games and the option to gamble with Bitcoin.

Meanwhile, opposition MPs are pushing for tighter gambling restrictions after the Dutch government’s review of the country’s Remote Gambling Act concluded that responsible gambling measures were insufficient. A private members’ bill introduced by Michiel van Nispen, leader of the Socialist Party, and Mirjam Bikker, leader of Christen Unie, would ban all gambling advertisements. It would also introduce compulsory limits for deposits and play time for online casino and would ban all gambling using credit.