Dec23
William Hill Appeals €300K Fine
December 18, 2018 Jim Murphy
The bookmaker was offering games of chance to the customers in the Netherlands via the company’s official website…
…but the games were available on two mobile applications.
At the moment, online gambling in this European country is prohibited. The bill which is aimed to regulate the market got stuck in a complicated bureaucracy and it is not certain when the process would end.
The consumers were allowed to play a wide variety of games such as roulette, blackjack and poker and they could also the time with sports wagering.
The KSA reported that the people in the Netherlands have been given an option to translate the website into Dutch. Moreover, iDEAL payment solution is offered to the residents of this country for both deposits and withdrawals. For those of you who don’t know…
…iDEAL is the most widely-used online payment method and it is available to everyone in the country with a Netherlands bank .
Appealing Against
The British bookmaker will not go lightly with the decision brought by KSA. A British company spokesperson said that they will “definitely be appealing against the fine.” This comes as a result of a several-week long preparation to issue the penalty in the first place.
On the other hand, according to Rene Jansen, chairman of the executive board at the regulator, KSA will do everything in order to protect the customers in this country from any activity which hasn’t been regulated.
“A player who gambles with an illegal provider does without any protection; there is no supervision so it is impossible to ensure these companies are conducting business fairly, and that is why the KSA acts against illegal providers,” Jansen said.
Other Penalties
In the meantime, the William Hill spokesperson added that several other companies have received fines for the same or similar reasons. Some of these brands have already appealed against the decision while some are preparing to do so.
These include MRG, which was recently fined €312,500 for allowing Dutch consumers to gamble on their platforms and Betsson’s subsidiary Corona Ltd for operating in the Netherlands without a license. Their fine was €300,000.
These fines come to no surprise considering that the KSA and the Dutch government ed forces in order to combat illegal gambling activities.
Problems and Discontent
However, this is a two-way street and the opinions differ. This decision is heavily criticized within the industry and Betsson has been the loudest one. It claims that the brands that are penalized…
…would have to be eligible to get a license in the first place while the regulator needs to channel players towards legal offerings.
The dissatisfaction is also felt within the KSA as the government fails to push the online gambling regulations through the Parliament. It has been said that September would be crucial for proposing a iGaming legislation but no progress has been made since.
Source:
“William Hill to appeal €300k Dutch fine”, igamingbusiness.com, December 14, 2018.
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On the one hand, they shouldn’t allow their products in the markets which are not regulated. Yet on the other hand, players will find a way to enjoy their favorite games. I really thing Holland needs to step up with the regulations finish this nonsense. Why are they punishing companies if they not provide them with the ground to play in?