KSA Imposes Sanction against Winning Poker Network

The Dutch gambling regulator, the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), announced Monday it imposed a cease-and-desist order against the online gambling operator Winning Poker Network. The order comes after an investigation dating back to September last year uncovered that Dutch customers can participate in games of chance via one of the operator’s websites.

The KSA said that an operator that doesn’t have a Dutch license cannot offer its services to customers in the country. Thus, upon uncovering the breach, the gambling watchdog gave Winning Poker Network a chance to remedy the situation. According to the KSA, the operator vowed to discontinue the offering of games of chance for customers in the Netherlands.

Now, upon a follow-up probe, the KSA uncovered that the website that offered games of chance previously was no longer accessible to Dutch customers. However, it found that a different website from the same provider was accessible to customers from the Netherlands.

The gambling watchdog pointed out that Dutch customers have the option to register via that website and participate in games of chance. However, given that the operator doesn’t have a license, the KSA deemed that offering “illegal games of chance.”

Keeping in mind that the operator’s services are still accessible to Dutch customers, the KSA enforced a cease-and-desist order subject to periodic penalty payments against the online gambling provider. According to the regulator, if Winning Poker Network offers its services again without a license, a fine of €25,000 ($27,000) per week up to a maximum of €75,000 ($81,000) would be applicable. Moreover, the KSA vowed to continue monitoring the activity of the operator.

The Gambling Watchdog Monitors the Market Continuously

The latest sanction comes after only recently, the KSA imposed a financial penalty against another operator. Earlier this month, the regulator imposed a financial penalty of €1,470,000 per week, up to a maximum of €4,410,000 against Gammix Limited. At the time, the KSA claimed that the operator offered its services to Dutch customers without a license.

Before that, earlier in March, the KSA imposed penalties surpassing $27 million against five online gambling operators. According to the regulatory watchdog, the operators offered games of chance without a Dutch license, which is why a regulatory fine was imposed.