Illegal bingo: Dutch gambling regulator issues fines over social media account
The KSA has issued two penalty orders against the owner of an account that organised and advertised bingo without a licence.
The Netherlands.- The Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has announced that it has issued two penalty orders against the owner of a social media account for advertising bingo without a licence. The fines were issued in relation to an account named Luxurybingods.
The KSA found that the owner of the account was operating bingo illegally at the Harbour Club in Eindhoven in March. The operator sold tickets for bingo games at €65 each, while the value of top prizes exceeded the maximum amount permitted for small games of chance.
The events were heavily advertised on TikTok, and the money made was taken as profit by the operator rather than for any good cause. Luxurybingods was found to have organised illegal bingo at other locations in the past, with adverts on Instagram dating back to 2022.
The KSA issued separate fines for the offences of organising and advertising bingo games. The organiser faces a demand for €19,000 per game up to a maximum of €190,000 for organising bingo without a licence. For advertising the games, it’s been told it must pay €9,500 per advert up to a maximum of €95,000.
The KSA said that it took action as it considered there to be a high chance of recurrence. It said: “The organisation has already been reprimanded for this by KSA. The penalty payment order imposed prevents the person concerned from continuing to organise these types of bingos.”
Dutch gambling tax hike
Meanwhile, the new right-wing coalition government in the Netherlands has confirmed plans to increase gambling tax. The 2025 Budget presented by finance minister Eelco Heinen and Prime Minister Dick Schoof yesterday will increase the rate of tax on the income of gambling operators in two phases.
The tax rate will be hiked from 30.5 per cent to 34.2 per cent in 2025 and to 37.8 per cent in 2026. The government said the phased approach was intended to give operators time to adjust to the new system. Meanwhile, the current tax on customer winnings of over €449 will be scrapped.
