KSA fines marketing firm for illegal online gambling advertising
The Dutch gambling regulator has fined Red Ridge Marketing €675,000.
The Netherlands.- The Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has fined the marketing company Red Ridge Marketing €675,000 for advertising illegal online gambling. It had previously handed the company an order to stop its advertising, but the regulator says the company continued.
The company was fined over the activity of four websites: Casinojager.com, Casinovergelijker.net, Internetcasino-online.com and Nederlandseonlinecasino.com. The sites advertised gambling operators that don’t hold Dutch licences. The KSA said that 296,408 people in the Netherlands visited Casinojager.com alone from May 1 2021 to May 1 2022.
The regulator said that promotional text on the sites included “careless and misleading statements” and could “encourage immoderate participation by promoting unlimited play and wagering”. They also included negative statements about the national self-exclusion service, Cruks.
A tab labelled “news” included an article entitled “Casino Without Licence” that claimed that players have more “freedom” if they play on illegal online casino sites. It read: “Gambling at an unlicensed casino has its advantages. There are less strict conditions regarding bonuses”.
KSA chairman René Jansen said: “Promoters of illegal games of chance providers also receive our attention. They must also comply with the law, especially when it comes to protecting young adults. We will do everything we can to stop these practices.”
KSA fines against illegal gambling operators totalled €29m in 2022
The Dutch regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has published its annual report for 2022, the first full year of regulated online gambling in the Netherlands. It reported that it issued €29m in fines for illegal gambling.
Of 277 preliminary investigations into illegal gambling websites, there were 26 investigations into illegal online providers and 18 orders to issue periodic penalty payments. Seven fines were issued, including five fines against gambling operators issued in December. Some of the operators have appealed.
