In March this year, the Dutch gambling regulator KSA issued VideoSlots Casino a €9.87 fine for operating without the Dutch license. The operator responded immediately and called the fine illegal. Two months later, VideoSlots still insists KSA is wrong. The operator’s lawyer Ewout Wierda explained the situation during his interview with iGaming NEXT.
Fined for a Single Bet
Wierda said that they stopped accepting players from the Netherlands in October 2021 and took effective steps to prevent anyone from the region from signing up. And the only bet from the Netherlands since then was the one made by the KSA official.
The investigation was triggered by the error that briefly showed the KSA license logo on the casino website. At the time the operator applied for the Dutch license and was testing some future adjustments. That’s when the regulator’s logo was published on a live website by accident.
When the incident was reported to the regulator, it launched an investigation. Unable to sign up with the Dutch IP, they used VPN and posed as a German player to successfully deposit and make a bet. The regulator selected Germany as the country and provided a German phone number.
VideoSlots Isn’t Responsible
Asked if there’s partially VideoSlot’s fault for letting this happen, the lawyer said that KSA went way out of line. And now that VideoSlots knows that KSA is ready to do that, they’ve tightened restriction measures. But he argued that the fact that there are more ways to restrict access to the website than is currently used, doesn’t mean they are necessary.
The fine was issued for operating without the license. But the lawyer thinks that in the eyes of the law they didn’t operate on that market. Because they restricted access and were clear about not accepting Dutch players.
He believes the regulator wasn’t supposed to take those steps and now it must be held accountable for its mistakes. VideoSlots is determined to reverse the decision and is ready to go to court.
No Drastic Measures Were Necessary
Wierda thinks such drastic measures weren’t necessary as the issue could be quickly resolved had the KSA contacted them directly. He blames lack of communication and clarity from the KSA.
The regulator must have explained clearly what they think must be done to make access impossible. Because access to a website can never be completely blocked. Had VideoSlots known what measures are considered enough, they would have implemented them.
The lawyer thinks that the size of the fine was politically motivated. The regulator wanted to attract media attention and be seen as very strict and effective. He is confident the casino will win the case.
