Dutch regulator issues orders to online bingo and lottery operators

The Dutch regulator KSA has ordered two online bingo and lottery operators to cease running services illegally via social media.

The Netherlands.- The gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has issued cease and desist orders demanding two online bingo and lottery operators stop their operations. It found that Luxury Bingo and BSB Shop were illegally running services via social media.

The KSA said that Luxury Bingo initially stopped its operations after being served with a warning, however, it later resumed operating online bingo via Facebook. Its page has been removed from Facebook and it has been warned that it faces a penalty of €3,000 for every repeat offence, up to a maximum of €30,000.

As for BSB Shop, the KSA said it was offering a commercial online lottery via Facebook but later switched to the group chat app Discord after it received contact from the regulator. The KSA said it would now issue a fine of €7,000 every time the company breaches gambling regulations, up to a maximum of €35,000.

The regulator said: “The KSA takes action against illegal games of chance; it is prohibited to offer a game of chance without a licence. Participants in illegal games of chance are not assured of a fair game, so the KSA therefore warns consumers against participating.”

The Dutch gaming regulator has been working with Facebook to remove pages that offer unlicensed gambling products. It has also carried out a clampdown on affiliates ahead of the launch of the Netherlands’ licensed online gaming market next month.

Last week, the KSA published new reporting requirements that must be observed by all operators under the Netherlands’ Remote Gambling Act.

The new reporting duties will apply from December 31 and will require all licensed operators to provide a CSV file providing quarterly data on advertising, player recruitment, addiction prevention and monitoring of betting and gaming integrity.