The Dutch gambling regulator, de Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has issued fines of €900,000 each to two illegal online betting operators who were allowing players within the Netherlands to access their products.
Equinox Dynamic NV based in Curaçao and Domiseda and Partners sro based in Slovakia were both issued with financial penalties of €900,000 (total €1.8 million). An investigation carried out by the regulator revealed that not only did both gambling operators allow players from the Netherlands to place wagers but they also had no age verification process in place.
The investigation centered on casino games that were offered through the website orientxpresscasino.com. The KSA discovered that both Equinox Dynamic and Domiseda acted as providers/agents for the website and ran offers directing Dutch consumers to its games.
Speaking of the infraction René Jansen, chairman of the KSA said:
‘The objective is to create a safe environment for people who want to gamble online. This includes taking strict action against illegal providers.’
The latest fines are the third and fourth fines issued by the KSA so far in 2023. In January, the KSA fined Shark77 €900,000 for offering unlicensed sports betting and casino gaming in the country while just a week later JOI Gaming was fined €400,000 for sending out promotional emails to young adults.
This brings the total fines for 2023 to more than €11.2 million. According to research by USA-Casino.com, gambling industry fines in 2022 came to €251,712,034 / $269,532,490 – a significant increase of 443.9% compared to 2021’s total of €44,753,969 / $48,642,992.
Based in Galway, Ireland, Ciaran has over a decade of experience writing for some of the biggest names in the sports-betting, gambling, poker & casino industries.
