Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch gambling authority, has imposed a fine of €6.7 million on Malta-based GoldWin Limited for illegal gambling operations in the Netherlands. This action follows a similar fine just recently levied against MKC Limited, marking a continued crackdown on unlicensed gambling activities in the country.
GoldWin, operating without a Dutch license, was found to be in direct violation of Article 1, Paragraph 1 of the Dutch Betting and Gaming Act (WOK). The violation was centered around the website Westcasino.com, managed by GoldWin, which allowed Dutch players to participate in gambling activities. The KSA’s investigation into GoldWin started on December 22, 2022. By creating an account with Dutch details and placing bets, the regulator could confirm that the site did not block access to players from the Netherlands.
KSA noted that in 2022, Westcasino.com had attracted 843,132 visits from the Netherlands. While the website and its customer service were primarily in English, an option to translate the content into Dutch was available, indicating accessibility for Dutch users.
The KSA initially signaled its intent to impose a fine on January 23, 2023. A subsequent review on March 2, 2023, revealed that access from the Netherlands persisted, except for accounts with the word “employee” in the user’s name or email. Following this, on April 20, 2023, KSA issued a penalty order to GoldWin, instructing the cessation of its gambling offerings in the Netherlands.
The calculation of the €6.7 million fine was based on several factors, including GoldWin’s estimated revenue from Dutch players. KSA uses a method to project that each visit from the Netherlands to an unlicensed remote gambling site can generate €230.2 in operator turnover. The final fine represented 7% of GoldWin’s estimated turnover from Dutch customers.
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