Dutch Regulator Increases its fines on illegal sites

The Dutch regulator, Kansspelauthoriteit has announced that it will be increasing its fines on unlicensed betting sites to €150,000 with effect from the 1st of August, 2015.

Previously, the fine was pegged at €100,000 and the increase was meant to eradicate illegal betting sites in the country since they affect the country’s tax revenue. However, not all illegal sites can be easily tracked but once tracked, the hefty fine will also be sufficient to contribute to the country’s tax revenue.

The Dutch regulator also indicated that the fine will also depend on the volume of Dutch players as well as including the amount wagered by players and the number of websites available to the Dutch.

Therefore, Kansspelauthoriteit said that they will look on a case-by-case basis since the fines are discretionary.

The regulator will consider a casino to be operating illegally if it does not have a license from Kansspelauthoriteit and is offering its services and advertising in the Dutch market. This also does not mean that the sites should necessarily be using the .nl domain.

The regulator made and published them as part of the country’s transparency laws.