Kindred Group to appeal €470,000 Dutch fine
Around the world, regulators are cracking down on casinos that fail to comply with the current laws.
Some may feel that the harsh reactions by regulators is too much, but in fact, it’s exactly why regulators exist – to uphold laws and protect those who shouldn’t be targeted.
The KSA, or Kansspelautoriteit, is the regulator for Dutch gambling in the Netherlands. They’ve recently come down on the Kindred Group and have received some push back.
Large Fine for Kindred Group
The second fine imposed this week on a casino operator by KSA, the Kindred Group received a fine of €470,000.
The massive penalty was issued to Trannel International (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kindred) for offering online gambling services to Dutch players via Unibet.eu.
A similar fine was received by ElectraWorks Limited for offering gambling via Bwin.com.
It’s believed that Dutch players were targeted via Unibet.eu from August to December in 2018, where they were offered customer support in their own language, as well as the ability to bank via iDeal. The Dutch payment method has been cited specifically by the KSA.
Statements and Appeals
While not alone in the hot seat, this fine has been met with many comments from players and industry experts.
Kindred replied in a statement saying that they would be appealing the KSA ruling while awaiting the secondary legislation from the Ministry of Justice and Security.
They also said the following: “Kindred respects any requests from the Dutch regulator and is fully compliant with the rules set out by the Ministry of Justice and Security earlier this year. Kindred remains committed to having a constructive dialogue with the regulator and other stakeholders.
“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.”
Illegal Gambling in the Netherlands
Currently, online gambling is illegal, but this is set to change.
The KSA said this in their ruling against the Kindred Group: “Offering online games of chance is currently prohibited in the Netherlands. Under the current Betting and Gaming Act, it is not possible to grant a licence for this, because the law does not provide for effective instruments for supervision. This situation is going to change.”
The Remote Gambling Act has been passed in the Netherlands and will come into effect by the 1st of July 2020. From then moving forward, gambling operators will be able to have their permit applications processed.
The official opening date from online games of chance will be Friday, the 1st of January 2021. Until then, all online gambling and games of chance are strictly prohibited.
It remains to be seen if any other operators will receive a fine from the KSA in the near future.