KSA Asks Another Offshore Operator to Exit the Dutch Market

The Dutch Gambling Authority (Kansspelautoriteit/KSA) announced that it has imposed a penalty payment order on yet another unlicensed gambling operator. The KSA once again emphasized that only operators with an official license are allowed to offer online games of chance in the Netherlands.

KSA Orders Chestoption Sociedad de Responsibilidad Limitada to Exit the Netherlands

The KSA, which continues to watch over the Dutch market and make sure that its strict gambling rules are being upheld, has taken action against an online gambling operator that offered unlicensed games of chance.

The authority said that the violator this time is Chestoption Sociedad de Responsibilidad Limitada, a company that operates several online gambling websites, including vave.com, vave-luck.com and 65avev55.com.

While Chestoption Sociedad de Responsibilidad Limitada does not posses a license in the Netherlands, the KSA understood that the aforementioned websites were available to Dutch players.

KSA officials examined the three sites in question and, during the course of their investigation, learned that vave.com, vave-luck.com and 65avev55.com allowed players in the Netherlands to register accounts, make deposits and participate in unlicensed games of chance.

The KSA also pointed out that, as of the time of the investigation, Chestoption Sociedad de Responsibilidad Limitada’s websites had no measures in place to prevent players from the Netherlands from accessing the unlicensed offer.

As a result, the Kansspelautoriteit ordered Chestoption Sociedad de Responsibilidad Limitada to immediately stop the unlicensed offer and not target Dutch players in the future. If the operator fails to comply, it risks a weekly fine of EUR 280K ($318.4K), up to a maximum of EUR 840K ($955.3K).

The KSA issued a reminder that only licensed gambling companies can target Dutch players and offer online gaming legally. It added that offshore companies risk fines depending on how long their illegal offering has been available.

KSA Continues to Penalize Violators

Chestoption Sociedad de Responsibilidad Limitada is the latest in a line of websites the KSA has threatened with penalties. Before ordering the company to stop targeting Dutch players, the authority issued a similar warning to Starscream Limited, which likewise offered games of chance despite lacking the license necessary to do so.

Prior to that, the KSA issued a similar financial penalty to Gamusoft, an operator that similarly offered gaming to Dutch players, despite lacking a license from the authority.

However, unlicensed companies are not the only ones risking the ire of the KSA. Around the same time the regulator issued the Gamusoft penalty, it also warned 711, one of its licensees, over an ad-related violation.

The KSA understood that the operator’s ads had appeared on a website aimed at minors, and, although the company had taken action to rectify the issue, it failed to report it. The KSA, however, acknowledged 711’s efforts and decided not to levy a fine against the gaming company.