Dutch Gambling Regulator Fines Casumo with €310k

After proposing a new set of gambling guidelines in March and increasing online gambling penalties…

…the Dutch regulatory body and gambling authority, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) issued a €310,000 fine to online gaming operator, Casumo.

This Malta-based operator has been penalized for illegally targeting consumers from the Netherlands.

Targeting Dutch Players

KSA found out, after a thorough investigation, that Casumo’s gambling website contained various elements that actually suggested they were targeting Dutch players.

That includes offering iDeal as the payment option for placing wagers, which is currently the most popular method for online money transactions in the Netherlands.

Also, the Dutch gambling regulator revealed that a live chat on Casumo’s website was offering the option to provide answers to players in the Dutch language.

Why is this all illegal?

Well, currently, all sorts of online gambling are strictly forbidden in the Netherlands, although the plan of the government is to change it…

…possibly in the near future.

The state Senate actually approved the Remote Gaming Act in February, so it is now making the space for the incorporation of the new iGaming regulations in the Netherlands.

A Word from a KSA Chairman

“The current Betting and Gaming Act does not offer the possibility to grant a license to be allowed to offer online games of chance,” René Jansen, the chairman of KSA said in an official statement.

“With the current law, we cannot protect consumers against unfair play. Nor is it possible to control the prevention of gambling addiction and the participation of vulnerable groups such as minors,” Jansen explained.

“Fortunately, with the entry into force of the new Remote Gambling Act, we will have the opportunity to do so,” he added.

Other Operators Punished as Well

But, Casumo is not the only company that received such a penalty from Kannspelautoriteit. Many other operators also received similar fines…

…like 1xBet, William Hill, MRG and Betsson Group subsidiary Corona Ltd.

All these companies have been handed penalties in the past few months by the state regulatory body.

The gambling regulator, KSA, in March, increased the amount of the fines issued for illegal online gambling activities of unlicensed operators, because allegedly they were not big enough to actually stop operators from continuing to do the same.

Casumo Punished in the UK

The amount that the caisno was penalized within the Netherlands is not that high compared to the one that they got issued by the UK Gambling Commission in November of 2018.

Casumo actually had to pay £5.85m after the regulator found out that this operator failed to put appropriate risk assessment processes in place…

…in order to determine if its iGaming offerings could be used for money laundering.

Also, the investigation showed that the casino wasn’t doing proper due diligence processes on customers, as well as failing to determine the actual source of the players’ funds.

Source:

“Casumo faces €310k Dutch fine”, igamingbusiness.com, April 2, 2019.