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Summary
- The Dutch Gaming Authority has slapped Bet365 with a €400,000 fine
- Bet365 was fined for breaching stringent gambling advertising laws in the Netherlands
- Kansspelautoriteit had earlier fined Gammix €4.4 million for offering illegal games
Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch Gaming Authority has made it clear in the past that it would come down hard on licensed and unlicensed gaming operators who did not comply with regulations in the Netherlands.
Bet365 Hit With €400,000 Fine For Violations
Bet365 found out first hand this week that the KSA meant business as its operating company in Malta called Hillside New Media Malta (Hillside) was slapped with a €400,000 fine by the KSA.
The KSA imposed a hefty fine on Hillside as Bet365 was found to have committed serious violations concerning advertising regulations. Bet365 is alleged to have run gambling ads that specifically targeted young people in the country in the age group of 18-24 during the period of 26 Oct 2021 to 1 Feb 2022.
The Dutch Gaming Authority launched an investigation into Bet365 after a TV program in the Netherlands called Kassa highlighted some of these violations. Kassa is a program that carries out investigations and tests different services and products.
The KSA released a statement and said that they had designed gaming regulations to protect vulnerable gamblers and that segment specifically included young people who needed to be given extra protection as their brains were still in a development stage.
KSA said that Bet365 did not respect these regulations and specifically targeted young people in the Netherlands which is why they were slapped with a hefty fine. The Netherlands has placed a big emphasis on gambling advertisements in 2022 after political concerns were raised over the increase in gambling advertising.
Dutch licensed gaming operators are aware that they can no longer target gambling adverts to individuals between 18 and 24 and not run any commercial ads towards individuals who fall into a senior category.
Gammix Hit With €4.4 million Penalty For Illegal Games
Earlier this month, the KSA issued a €4.4 million on Gammix after the gaming regulator found that the operator was promoting illegal games of chance. This fine goes back to July 2022 when Gammix was pulled up for offering illegal games of chance and slapped with a €1.47 million fine each week for as long as they continued to offer these illegal games of chance.
The KSA confirmed that Gammix continued to offer these games even after being warned, so it issued a €4.4 million fine and collected the same, even though Gammix did not agree with the violation and fine!
