Netherlands Gaming Authority lays it on the table
News on 2 Feb 2016
News on 2 Feb 2016
The Netherlands Gaming Authority, Kansspelautoriteit, has sanctioned payment service provider CURO B.V. for providing services to Bluemay Enterprises NV and its associated affiliates and websites.
Our readers will recall Redcorp S.A. and Bluemay Enterprises NV, the two gambling firms behind Red Slots.com, receiving a hefty fine of Euro 240 000 each back in November 2014 for offering services to the Dutch market.
CURO filed an objection to the authority’s initial cease and desist order which instructed the company to withdraw payment services to Dutch customers via the aforementioned website and provide proof of termination of the service or face a Euro 1,500 per day fine maxed at Euro 21,000.
CURO has since withdrawn its services after a second hearing upheld the decision.
Kansspelautoriteit has a list of sanctioned operators that include Total E Soft Limited en XKL Limited, Co Gaming Limited (Come On Europe Limited), Imperial E-club Limited, 7Red.com, Star SAT Electronica, Onisac Limited and Mansion Online Casino Limited as well as Globalstars.
The authority clarified that penalties for offering illegal gambling to the Dutch market not only apply to operators but also promoters of those services such as advertising agencies, affiliates and payment service providers.
The Gambling Authority impressed that it has the legal authority to impose an order subject to administrative penalties, penalty and/or an administrative fine. The maximum fine is Euro 810 000.
“No pay, no play,” says Marc Merx, head of supervision at Kansspelautoriteit. “If an illegal provider can’t receive money from a consumer, it’s not lucrative to be illegally active. Blocking a money transaction through a payment service provider is therefore of utmost importance. ”
