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Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Netherlands Gambling Authority, has fined Stockholm-listed operator Kindred Group’ subsidiary Trannel International €470,000 for serving Dutch players without a local license. The company has already launched an appeal against it.
The fine was issued under the current Dutch Gaming Act, which prevents online operators from securing a license, with re-regulation of the market slated for 2021 when online gaming operators will be eligible for licensure for the first time. The investigation into Trannel’s Unibet.eu site revealed Dutch consumers were able to access games such as roulette, poker and blackjack, as well as sports betting between August 11 and December 27, 2018. The site may have been accessible to players in the country for longer, it noted.
Kindred Group, however, claims that it is fully compliant with igaming rules set out by the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security earlier in the year. It aims to play a leading role in key regulatory goals, such as consumer protection. The company also claims to be committed to holding constructive dialogue with the KSA and other stakeholders as online regulations are developed.
“While anticipating the establishment of a regulated online gambling market in 2021, Kindred aims to play a leading role in promoting Dutch gambling policy objectives, such as consumer protection. For instance, Kindred emphasises its ambition to reach zero per cent revenue from harmful gambling by 2023,” read the company’s statement.
The penalty is the latest in a steady stream of similar punishments issued by the KSA over the last 18 months. So far this year various European-licensed operators were fined €1.46m in total for targeting the market with a Dutch offering. This includes operators such as GVC Holdings, Mansion, Casumo and 1x Corp.
Online gambling is currently illegal in the Netherlands, though the country is set to launch a regulated market on January 1, 2021, after the Dutch Senate in February passed the Netherlands’ Remote Gambling Act.
