SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The Dutch Gambling Authority, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has introduced a higher cap on penalty fees for the use of ‘gambling columns’ found in venues.
Often used in venues that are otherwise not licensed under the gambling act, such as sports bars and cafes, ‘gambling columns’ are betting services offered through electronic devices like laptops and smartphones that according to the KSA are “almost always illegal”.
The previous law first introduced back in 2014 set the fines for such machines between €7,500 and €20,000. This has now been bumped to penalties spanning between €25,000 and €100,000 per device found.
Calculating the penalty will depend on the severity of the regulatory breach, with the KSA highlighting the use of these devices by minors as one reasonable ground to impose a bigger fine.
As the devices are unregulated, the regulator says that ‘gambling columns’ usually pose a substantial risk of money laundering and tax evasion.
“The number of types of gambling columns is increasing. It is also noticeable that mobile devices, such as laptops and phones, have an increasing share of the devices used,” the KSA said in a statement.
“The administrative fines of the Ksa consist of a fixed fine per device found that is used in gambling. It does not matter whether the device is in full or in part as a gambling column.”
One important takeaway is that slot machines operating under a valid permit are not to be recognised as ‘gambling columns’.
