KSA Fines Merkur for Allowing an Excluded Player to Gamble

The Kansspelautoriteit, a body that regulates gambling in the Netherlands, has fined Merkur Casino Almere over an exclusion-related breach. According to the authority, the casino operator allowed a self-excluded person to play over a two-week period.

The person in question was registered in the Netherlands’ self-exclusion register (CRUKS) and was supposed to be barred from playing with a casino operator. Yet, the player managed to successfully gain access to Merkur Casino in Almere.

The Kansspelautoriteit noted that Merkur Casino allowed the player to enter its property a total of nine times in the period from February 17, 2022, to March 2, 2022. This was a clear violation of the local gambling rules and a breach of Merkur’s social responsibility obligations.

The Player Was Registered in the CRUKS

CRUKS is an official register containing all people who have excluded themselves from playing high-risk gambling. All companies that hold a license in the Netherlands are required to diligently check that a player’s name is not registered in the CRUKS.

This measure, which Merkur failed to properly follow, seeks to protect gamblers who consider themselves prone to addiction from harm. However, a technical error prevented Merkur from properly checking whether the person in question was excluded or not.

According to the KSA, Merkur received an error message when trying to check the person’s name in the CRUKS. If the casino company had decided to follow protocol, it should have barred the player from entering until it was able to confirm whether their name appears in the register.

However, Merkur Casino Almere decided to take a risk and instead allowed the gambler to enter the property and play.

As a result of these violations, the KSA handed a fine of €45,000 (almost $50,000) to Merkur.

KSA Recently Fined Betent

Speaking of fines, the KSA recently slapped Betent with a $438,000 fine over illegal advertisements. The casino operator, the regulator reported, disregarded the local advertising standards and advertised to young adults.

Advertising to vulnerable groups is considered to be a serious violation of the local gambling rules. While Betent may not have intently targeted young adults, its messages ended up reaching such an audience.

While Dutch young adults are not prohibited from playing, local operators are prohibited from targeting them with ads. This is because the market believes that young people are still developing and therefore extra susceptible to gambling addiction.