The Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) recently announced penalties against three companies—SBM Holding Group, Sun Block Media Labs 2.0, and JEF Holdings—for promoting illegal online gambling. These companies face fines of up to 75,000 euros (approximately 87,685 US dollars) per week for continuously posting unauthorized gambling advertisements on websites such as CasinoScout.nl.
CasinoScout.nl initially only promoted operators licensed in the Netherlands, but after a change in website ownership, it began to repost advertisements for illegal gambling platforms. After warnings from KSA proved ineffective, the regulator took measures to forcibly take down the domain. However, investigations revealed that despite implementing access restrictions for Dutch IPs, the website continued to promote illegal operators.
Further evidence revealed that CasinoScout.nl is linked to another website named besteonlinecasinonederland.com, which is also controlled by the aforementioned three companies and involved in illegal gambling advertising. Consequently, KSA decided to extend the fines to cover both platforms.
Meanwhile, KSA affirmed the positive outcomes of channeling the Dutch gambling market, noting that since enhancing player protection and banning sports sponsorships, 93% of users have chosen to bet on legal platforms. The regulatory body emphasized its continued commitment to rigorously combat illegal advertising to ensure market order and consumer safety.
