In its fight against unlawful betting games within the country, the main gambling authority in the Netherlands, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has today publicly disclosed a mid-year review of its conduct in the first half of 2023.
Enforcing Breakup of Unlawful Offerings
The KSA revealed that during the initial six months of 2023, an array of breaches were detected, a series of successful operations to minimize illicit betting services were executed, penalties were enforced and novel investigative approaches were initiated.
After conducting their preliminary operations, the regulatory body initiated recurrent penalty payments to trio of providers who kept persisting with their unlawful gambling games. The tactic enabled the KSA to rapidly and efficiently curb illegal gambling providers from further offering their services.
In an effort to inhibit further proliferation of illegal gambling operations, the KSA initiated an investigation in late 2022, examining the top eight frequented websites to see if they promote unlicensed online casinos and/or provide methods to bypass Cruks, the national self-exclusion register.
Presently, the running investigation declared that out of the eight scrutinized websites, four have breached the Betting and Gaming Act. The KSA plans to take a range of enforcement measures against these websites, including rendering them inaccessible from the Netherlands, thus forcing them to adhere to the regulations.
The regulatory board also carried out 32 investigations concerning illegal promotions made via social media and subsequently reported detected violations to Meta. Following the KSA’s reports, the pages found guilty of contravening the country’s laws were quickly shut down.
Broadening Investigation into Cryptocurrencies
The KSA was compelled to explore this domain due to the growing preference for cryptocurrency by illicit providers as a mode of online payment. This subsequently led the KSA to broaden its range of tools. The KSA utilized Bitcoins on six instances in the initial six months of 2023 to identify potential breaches, and subsequently mandated the perpetrators to withdraw their offerings in the nation.
Continued efforts to combat land-based unlawful gambling also fall within the KSA’s scope, and the regulator provided assistance to municipal and police units on 42 occasions in this period. Apart from delivering support during invasions and municipal operations, the KSA has the authority to confiscate slot machines or any other equipment used for unlawful betting.
The KSA sustains dialogues with the Regional Information and Expertise Centers as a part of an interconnected approach to disruption, frequently making contributions to their initiatives.
