Kansspelautoriteit has said that tackling illegal gambling providers will be of high priority for the Dutch gambling authority in 2024.
The statement follows the conclusion of two investigations the KSA conducted into the advertising of illegal gambling offers via affiliate websites and websites of online newspapers, in which it found 14 of the 33 websites investigated in violation.
According to the authority, some websites also targeted people who were registered with the country’s self-exclusion service Central Register for the Exclusion of Gambling – Cruks.
One KSA investigation focused on websites advertising illegal providers, targeting vulnerable players. The authority looked into the most visited affiliate websites and found four websites in violation. A follow-up investigation has since begun into these websites.
The other investigation sought out affiliate marketing for illegal online casinos, specifically following the ban for untargeted advertising coming into effect last July.
In total, 10 websites were found to be advertising illegal online casinos. Following a proposed sanction decision by the KSA, five websites immediately stopped advertising, while an investigation into the remaining five websites is still ongoing.
From these investigations, it was found that seven illegal online casinos were being advertised; the authority has begun a sanction process against all of them.
The KSA added that six online newspapers were also contacted about affiliates who advertise illegal operators. All those outlets immediately removed the advertisements from their respective websites that were in violation.
Earlier this month, KSA Chair Rene Jansen warned operators about cashback bonuses, stating that “any bonus that is in any way linked to a loss is prohibited”.
