Gambling site Bwin runs afoul of Dutch regulators; Fined €350K

The Dutch gambling authority Ksa imposed a fine of 350 thousand euros on the company behind gambling site Bwin.com, because the site offered gambling services and sports betting to Dutch consumers without having a license.

The company involved is ElectraWorks Limited, based in Gibraltar, the Ksa said on its website. Investigation showed that Bwin was at least partly aimed at Dutch consumers, because it featured Dutch payment method iDeal. "There was a large selection of sports bets on the site. It was also possible to play live casino games such as roulette, black jack and poker", the Ksa said.

Dutch law currently does not allow issuing licenses for online gambling in the Netherlands. That will likely change when the Gambling At A Distance Act is amended on January 1st, 2021. But until then, offering online gambling to Dutch consumers is illegal in the Netherlands.

The Ksa can therefore fine the companies behind foreign gambling sites that target Dutch consumers. To identify such sites, the Ksa looks at various tell-tale signs, like the use of iDeal as payment method, the use of Dutch language, and sites that end in the extension .nl.