KSA Hits Techno Offshore and Novatech Solutions with Penalty Orders

Earlier in the month, the Netherlands’ Gaming Authority or KSA (Kansspelautoriteit)  penalized Blue High House with EUR 600,000 ($624,827) for allowing its betonline.ag platform to offer its services to Dutch customers without a license. 

In a similar effort to eradicate the provision of unlicensed gambling in the country, the same authority has now issued two penalty orders against Techno Offshore and Novatech Solutions for similar reasons.

The two companies, linked to platforms such as simplecasino.com, nolimitbet.com, qbet.com, and 55bet.com, were found breaching Dutch gambling regulations by offering gambling services to Dutch players without the necessary licenses.

Non-Compliance Fines of $295,000/Week 

The KSA has issued penalty payment orders requiring both operators to halt their activities in the Netherlands effectively immediately. 

Non-compliance will trigger fines of €280,000 ($295,000) per week, with penalties capped at €840,000 ($887,000).

The investigation revealed that both companies allowed Dutch users to access their sites despite regulatory restrictions. 

KSA inspectors, posing as players, were able to create accounts and gamble on Techno Offshore’s platform. 

Although the company later blocked KSA-associated accounts, other Dutch users continued to access the services, raising concerns about deliberate attempts to bypass enforcement.

Novatech Solutions followed a similar pattern. While access to qbet.com was eventually restricted for Dutch players, another affiliated site, 55bet.com, remained accessible, highlighting ongoing non-compliance.

Licensed operators in the Netherlands must comply with strict requirements aimed at protecting consumers while promoting gaming fairness. 

On the other hand, unlicensed platforms are known to go around these safeguards, exposing players to a series of potential risks.

KSA Takes “a Hard Line” with Non-Complying Operators 

KSA’s chairman, Michel Groothuizen, condemned these practices: “Illegal providers operate in a sophisticated manner. We see providers without a KSA license who really do their best to keep Dutch players out, but also many parties who don’t seem to care.”

Groothuizen offered the example of offers that are “often stopped” following KSA inspections but which “continue just as vigorously on another website of the same provider.”

“We therefore take a hard line with these types of parties that deliberately violate the rule,” he explained, highlighting the importance of orders subject to penalty payments that allow them to repeatedly impose “hefty” fines for the same violation.

In October, the KSA hit BlockDance with a similar penalty for offering unlicensed gambling. 

The operator was given four weeks to ensure compliance and stop offering its services to Dutch players. 

Failure to do so will result in a penalty of €280,000 ($304,000) per week up to a maximum of €840,000 ($912,000).