SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch Gambling Authority, has ruled against state-owned gambling company Holland Casino for online advertising.
Under KSA licence requirements, operators are not allowed to use online methods to advertise or recruit for goods and services ‘other than the licensed games of chance on the games of chance interface’.
As a result, the regulator concluded that Holland Casino had violated the fifth paragraph of article 4.2 of the national KOA Act, which re-regulated the Dutch online gaming market last October.
“In October 2021, the KSA found that the site with which HC offers the possibility of online gambling also contained links that led to information about HC’s physical locations,” a KSA statement read.
“That’s not allowed; in the remote games of chance decree states that an online licence holder may not advertise on its website for services and goods other than those for which the licence has been granted. The decision could only be published today due to pending procedures.”
Holland Casino was then instructed to remove all mobile/web based advertising and recruitment activities for its 14 branches, operating as a monopoly of land-based gaming throughout the Netherlands.
The KSA warned the firm that it had a seven day grace period to implement the changes – if the ruling was not adhered to, Holland Casino would face a €5,000 per day penalty, up to a maximum of €25,000.
Holland Casino is the latest gaming operator to fall under the KSA’s regulatory crosshairs, following a €400,000 penalty issued to Toto Online for targeted advertising of its products to 18-23 year old customers.
Meanwhile, the KSA also detailed last week that firms continuing to offer cashback bonuses to their players risk enforcement action due to this practice being banned under Dutch gambling law.
