Videoslots to contest Dutch fine
The Malta-based operator says the KSA fine is “absurd” and based on “several guesstimates”.
The Netherlands.- The Malta-based gaming operator Videoslots has announced that it will challenge a €9.8m fine issued by the Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA). It said the fine was “absurd”, “unlawful” and had been calculated “based on several guesstimates”.
The KSA has not publicly communicated the fine, but Videoslots says it was issued due to the operator using the KSA’s logo on its website despite it not holding a Dutch licence. The operator claims that the logo was made visible during tests while it prepared its licence application last April.
It said the KSA’s logo was “mistakenly visible for a short period of time on Videoslots website before being quickly removed.” It noted that during this time, the site complied with KSA orders and had systems in place to prevent Dutch players from registering to gamble.
It claims that KSA bypassed those controls by signing in as a German customer and “making a deposit and sole wager of 20 cents.”
Videoslots deputy CEO Ulle Skottling said: “Videoslots does not target but restrict the Netherlands, so the Dutch Gaming Act does not apply to its services. No Dutch players were able to access our site during the disputed period and there was no violation as a result.
“It is absurd that the KSA should fine us after gaining unauthorised access. It is simply not possible to protect fully against unauthorised access, and the KSA has no guidelines on what measures are sufficient. Videoslots takes its legal and regulatory obligations extremely seriously, but we dispute the KSA’s actions and conclusions, which we believe are unlawful. We are confident of a positive outcome in this case.”
The KSA has not yet commented on the matter. Last month, it fined Equinox Dynamic and Domiseda and Partners after finding that they were targeting customers in the Netherlands without a local igaming licence. They’ve each been fined €900,000.
Equinox is based in Curaçao, while Domiseda is from Slovakia, but the fines relate to the same website, Orientxpresscasino.com. The KSA said the two companies were providers for the site.
Dutch MPs propose tough two-strikes approach on gambling ads
Meanwhile, Dutch MPs have proposed a two-strikes approach on gambling ads. They propose that operators who reach customers aged under 24 more than twice should have their gaming licences suspended or cancelled.
The proposal was made in a series of ten questions submitted to parliament by Mirjam Bikker (Christian Union) Michel van Nispen (Socialist Party), Kees van der Staaij (Reformed Political Party) and Songül Mutluer (Labour).
The Netherlands has passed legislation that bans all untargeted gambling advertising, both digital and physical. That was due to come into effect in January but the implementation has been delayed. In the meantime, however, targeted ads must not reach those aged under 24.
