Dutch regulator looks into anti-iGaming measures

The KSA has admitted that its method to set fines on illegal gambling operators has little effect on operations.

Netherlands.- Countries where gaming is regulated always seek to control every bit of the market in order to keep track of where the money comes and goes and to get taxes from the segment. However, the Dutch gaming regulator, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has admitted that its strategy to fine illegal operators has proven uneffective and the iGaming ban may be coming to an end.

As the country continues on lockdown in regards to online gambling, there are only a few days before the Senate debates the Remote Gambling Bill on February 5. Lawmakers will vote on the legislation a few days later and it is expected that they will approve the bill, opening up the Dutch market for online operators.

The KSA will still need to fight unlicensed operators and, in a recently-released document outlining its plans for the year, it said it hasn’t been able to do so effectively: “The KSA has increasingly imposed fines on online providers in recent years,” the regulator said.

“These have so far had little effect on the extent of the illegal online offer. In a number of cases fines have not been paid. These fines can then hardly be collected as providers are abroad, outside the scope of the KSA.”