Dutch regulator issues first sanction against licensed operator

The KSA has sanctioned a licensed operator over an ad that was not clearly marked as being related to gambling.

The Netherlands.- The Dutch gambling regulator de Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has issued its first sanction against one of the ten online gambling operators it granted licences to before the launch of regulated online gambling in October.

It issued the sanction for a “misleading” ad that was not signalled as being relating to gambling.

Without naming the operator in question, the regulator said the ad had promoted odds on a football news website. When clicked, the ad led users to the operator’s website, but the KSA said that the ad failed to clarify that it was linked to a gambling operator.

As such, it breached the Netherland’s new Remote Gambling Act (KOA), which came into force in April. The licensee was told to remove the advertisement within 36 hours and did so.

Ten operators were granted licences to offer online gambling in the Netherlands prior the market’s launch in October. The list includes Netherlands’ state-controlled land-based casino group Holland Casino and the state lottery Nederlandse Loterij, with its TOTO Online betting brand.

The other initial approved licensees included Bet365, UK bingo operator Tombola, Janshen Hahnraths Group with FPO Nederland, Italy’s Betent and Belgium’s Bingoal.

The list is completed by Malta and Estonia-licensed Play North and NSUS Malta, which runs GGPoker.eu and LiveScore Malta.

The KSA has since issued an eleventh licence, which went to JOI Gaming, a division of the land-based casino operator JVH Gaming & Entertainment Group. JOI Gaming will operate online gambling at Jacks.nl.