GoldWin subject to second KSA unlicensed operator fine this week

The Netherlands’ Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) gambling regulator has issued its second fine of this week against GoldWin Limited for operating the westcasino.com site without a licence.

GoldWin has been hit with a charge of €6.8m for offering ‘games of chance’ in the Netherlands without a KSA-issued gambling licence, in violation of the KOA Act which has been governing the country’s betting sector since October 2021.

The company was first ordered to end its illegal offering in January 2023 but the regulator received no response. However, when an account ‘that could be recognised as a KSA inspector’ was used to attempt a login, gambling was not possible.

The KSA investigation found that other accounts which could not be recognised as KSA inspectors were used for login the website could be accessed. 

No technical measures, such as an IP blockade, had been adopted to prevent Dutch players from gambling with the platform and there were no visible age verification measures.

René Jansen, KSA Chairman, said: “We can often quickly put a stop to illegal supply with an order subject to a penalty. This does not mean that previously committed illegal activities disappear from view: they can still be punished.”

Enforcement action against GoldWin comes hot on the heels of similar action against MKC Limited, operator of the betworld247.com platform, which was issued a €900,000 fine yesterday.

Like GoldWin, MKC was found to have been operating a betting site in the Netherlands without a KSA licence, with investigators discovering that the site could be accessed easily by Dutch consumers.

There are currently 27 licensed operators in the Dutch online betting and gaming market, which has grown significantly since October 2021 from an initial 10 licensees and, according to the KSA’s latest figure, has begun to mature.