KSA Fines Repeat Offender Winning Poker Network / Americas Cardroom for Illegal Gambling

Illegal poker site owner continues to flout gambling restrictions

by - Tuesday, January 14th, 2025 12:11

Dutch Regulator fines

The Netherlands Gaming Authority, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has fined Americas Cardroom owner Winning Poker Network €1,275,000 for offering unlicensed online poker in the Dutch market.

The KSA investigation found that Winning Poker Network, which owns and operates americascardroom.eu and truepoker.eu, allowed customers based in the Netherlands to access its website, create accounts, play in online poker games and tournaments.

Speaking of the latest breach, Michel Groothuizen, chairpersonof the board of the KSA said:

‘A penalty payment order is an effective way to quickly take illegal supply off the air. However, these types of parties should not think that they will get off easy with this, so we also impose fines for the violation committed. In doing so, we hit them where it really hurts, namely in their wallets.’

Winning Poker Network Past Breaches

In March of 2023, the KSA issued a formal financial penalty warning to Winning Poker Network for offering unlicensed poker in the country. The warning stated that if the company continued to offer players in the Netherlands the opportunity to play at an unlicensed website, it would be subject to a fine of €25,000 per week up to a maximum of €75,000.

However, a follow up investigation in September discovered that while the company withdrew access to its americascardroom.eu site, it allowed new accounts to be created on its truepoker.eu site. The company was then issued the maximum allowable fine.

This brings the total gambling fines issued so far in 2025 to €3,507,295 / $3,595,708 / £2,952,797.

Total gambling fines for 2024 came to €177.9 million / $184.4 million / £148.2 million.

Thomas Nielsen

Gambling industry journalist with a background in online poker and trading. Covering the regulated U.S Sports industry and the exciting world of online poker.