Dutch regulator to expose operators that refuse to pay fines

The Dutch gambling regulator has announced that it will publicly reveal the name of the operators that refuse to pay imposed fines.

Netherlands.- Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch gambling regulator, announced on Thursday that it will make public which gambling operators refuse to pay the imposed fines. KSA aims to inform consumers about providers that may be unreliable.

KSA has the authority to impose a fine on a gambling provider that violates the Gambling Act. If a provider doesn’t pay after a reminder, the KSA starts a collection procedure. The Dutch regulator said that it will make this public by mentioning the refusal of payment with the decision on its website.

Before the KSA exposes the operators, the company in question is first given the opportunity to give an opinion on the disclosure. If a company later pays the fine or makes a payment arrangement, the payment refusal will be removed from the website.

“Some of the providers take their responsibility for the penalty imposed by paying the fine. Some providers try to escape their punishment. If the provider refuses to pay, the Ksa sees a strong indication that that provider is unreliable,” said the KSA.

Dutch regulator fights illegal online gambling

Last month, KSA fined two companies from Malta. The operators were offering online gambling to Dutch consumers, which is prohibited by law if they don’t hold a licence to do so in the country.

Royal Panta Limited and LeoVegas were fined €400k and €350k respectively fo offering online gambling in the Netherlands. An investigation from the KSA showed that in the second half of 2018 and early 2019, the companies focused on offering online gambling in the Netherlands. This is despite a clear prohibition to do such a thing without a licence. Both sites also allowed local customers to pay with the Dutch iDEAL payment method, the investigation revealed.