Fines, licences and channelisation: Dutch Gaming Authority report reflects on 2022

Dutch regulator Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa) fined illegal gaming operators €29m ($30.5m) in 2022, according to its annual report.

Due to new fine policy restrictions, there have been more fines this year than in previous periods.

The Ksa has also provided an extensive analysis of what went well and where it feels changes can and should be made.

The report claims a total of 24 licences were granted for online games of chance, 21 of which are used to provide player offerings.

Existing permit applications are lengthy and are said to take a lot of capacity from both Ksa and the applicants. An online gaming licence is granted to one in every three applicants.

Meanwhile, 85% of online gamblers reportedly use licensed operators. The central exclusion register Cruks currently has over 36,000 citizens registered, up from 6,500 at the start of the year.

As a result, self-excluded individuals are unable to take part in high-risk gambling activities, locally (in gaming establishments and Holland Casino sites) and online. This is said to make a major contribution to managing or preventing gambling addiction.

Furthermore, Ksa levied €26m ($27.6m) in fines on five parties for unlawfully permitting participants in the Netherlands to take part in online games of chance.

The Ksa used its newly established fines policy, which it adopted in September 2021, to determine the severity of the sanctions.

René Jansen, Ksa Chairman, said: “We mean business. Player safety is paramount. A fine is to hit where it hurts, so in the wallet. With such amounts, we think we can impose an appropriate sanction, given the illegal earnings.”