KSA Discovers 14 Sites Pushing Players to Illegal Operators

The independent administrative body that supervises and regulates gambling services in the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA), has announced a disturbing discovery. 

The authority that relies on funding from gambling levies in the industry has found that 14 affiliate and news sites had encouraged gamblers to engage in games provided by illegal operators. 

Among the targeted players were also some who had previously opted for self-exclusion. 

The KSA Conducted Two Investigations 

The regulator, which is governed by a Board of Directors, informed the public that it conducted two investigations into a total number of 33 news platforms and affiliate sites as a result of alerts that were sent to them. 

The alerts regarded suspicions that websites were targeting players who had excluded themselves from gambling as well as other players who were allegedly taking advantage of the ban imposed on untargeted advertising for operators on the black market.

Four of the investigated sites were found to promote illegal operators to players who were registered on the country’s CRUKS self-exclusion system. 

The authority discovered that the illegal operators that were advertised on the respective platforms were tagged as being non-CRUKS affiliated brands, which might have encouraged self-excluded players to enter the illegal market.

The KSA then initiated a follow-up investigation after it did not receive any responses from the owners of the advertising sites that it contacted. 

The second of the two investigations was aimed at the marketing of illegal sites in the context of the current ban on untargeted advertising enforced in July 2023 in the Netherlands. 

The ban completely forbids advertising gambling on print publications, TV, radio, public spaces including bus shelters and billboards, and public buildings like arcades, cinemas, and cafes. 

10 Affiliate Platforms Displayed Illegal Sites 

The KSA also came across 10 different affiliate sites that were promoting seven unlicensed operators. 

Five of them have since stopped promoting these operators after receiving a proposed sanction decision. The KSA is still investigating the remaining five affiliate platforms. 

The regulator has also initiated sanction procedures against the illegal operators that were found to be promoted. 

Additionally, six online news websites were contacted in writing and by telephone and instructed to cease the promotion of black market operators. All platforms complied with the requests.