The Dutch national gambling regulator, the Kansspelautoriteit, has announced that it has won a major case regarding gambling advertising in this country.
The regulator has been taken to the highest instance of the Dutch judicial system by Content Publishing Limited.
Cleaning House:
Dutch Kansspelautoriteit has been working overtime in preparation for the country’s gambling market launch next year. As a part of that effort, the KSA has been going after…
…operators who are trying to skirt around the current regulations and offer gambling services to potential patrons from the Netherlands. Back in 2017, the KSA has fined Content Publishing Limited, a subsidiary of Betsson, over they’ve been caught…
…publishing articles promoting gambling on various websites. The KSA has claimed that visitors could navigate Content Publishing’s websites and easily access illegal slots and other games of chance.
Before issuing any fines, the KSA has warned the operator to cease such practices immediately. However, Content Publishing has failed to do so, prompting Kansspelautoriteit to issue progressive fines to this operator.
Content Publishing appealed to the District Court of the Hauge, claiming that KSA’s definition of promotion was simply too broad in the Gambling Act. Furthermore, they’ve claimed that the problematic articles were actually editorials rather than an advertisement. In 2019, after nearly…
…two years, the District Court of the Hauge has found KSA to be in the clear. However, it didn’t take long for Content Publishing to appeal to this decision, forcing the matter to the highest judicial instance within the Netherlands.
The latest development where the Council of State dismissed Content Publishing’s appeal, represents a victory for the KSA. Many see this ruling as another brick in KSA’s effort to pave the way for the new Remote Gaming Act that is supposed to…
…come into effect on July 1, 2021. By clearing up the domestic market of illegal online gambling activities, the KSA will allow soon-to-be licensed operators to work without hindrance.
Speaking of licensing, there are several things that need to happen before any operator is granted a license. First and foremost, the secondary regulations that were published in June of 2019 need to…
…be officially passed. That will open the doors for the entire licensing process to commence. With online casino operators lined up to take part in this potentially lucrative market, the KSA is working overtime to clean house of any illegal activity.
Just last year, the KSA imposed some €3.5m worth of fines to various operators caught in breach of the country’s current gambling regulation. As many have noticed, that is a massive…
…increase compared to what this regulatory body issued just a year before in 2018. More specifically, the KSA noted a staggering 105.8% increase in issued fines. That fact reinforces the idea that…
…is cleaning house in preparation for the official market launch next year.
Source: “KSA claims victory in gambling advertising case” https://www.igamingbusiness.com/news/ksa-claims-victory-gambling-advertising-case. iGaming Business.January 24, 2020.
