NetX and Winbet Fined for Illegal Gambling in the Netherlands

The Netherlands Gambling Authority, de Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has fined NetX Betting Limited for offering illegal online gambling to people based in the Netherlands.

According to the KSA announcement, the company had previously been fined for the same offence and has now been issued with a €675,000 penalty.

NetX offered illegal online gambling on two websites – pferdewetten.de and betbird.com – both of which allowed people based in the Netherlands to join and place bets. No measures were taken to ensure that people from the Netherlands out were not given access to gambling products.

Michel Groothuizen, chairman of the board of the Ksa:

“Dutch players need to be protected: that is why we are cracking down hard on illegal offers. We see that illegal providers often pay little attention to the player and do not adhere to a duty of care.

Here, for example, we saw the practice that players who are inactive for a long time after creating an account are given a ‘fine’ by the provider. If they do not play for a certain period of time, an amount of €5 per month is charged. A player is then punished if he does not participate in the (illegal) games of chance offered. That of course goes beyond all bounds.”

Winbet Warned and Issued Penalty

A KSA investigation revealed that Winbet was operating illegal gambling activities through four websites: galaxyspins.com, winnercasino1.bet, superb1.bet, and doctorspins.com. As a result, the company faces a penalty of €280,000 per week, with a maximum total fine of €840,000.

On all of the sites investigated, users were able to create accounts, make deposits, and participate in illegal gambling activities. No technical measures were implemented to block participation from the Netherlands.

Gambling Industry Fines so Far in 2024

The latest fines issued in the past month bring the total fines issued by gambling regulators in 2024 to $103.1 million / £79.5 million / €95.5 million.

Australian regulators lead the way once again with close to $55 million in fines across the first ten months of the year.

Jenny Tang

An experienced iGaming commentator and analyst based in New York City – Jenny reports on regulation and gambling industry news and events.