The KSA has said it received “several signals” regarding illegal advertising offers, which prompted the investigations last year.
After looking into the issue, the regulator said it found that websites enticed consumers to “gamble with illegal providers of online gambling” and noted that those registered in Cruks, the Dutch self-exclusion system, were more susceptible.
The KSA found advertising that encouraged consumers to play without Cruks, the Central Register for the Exclusion of Gambling.
Indeed, those registered on this site are excluded from playing with legal providers, making an ad of this kind potentially problematic for those looking to abstain from unsafe and irresponsible gaming habits.
“Actively advertising to this target group is therefore very harmful,” the KSA said in a statement.
Another part of the investigation found “websites that tempted consumers to play with illegal providers through advertisements on their website.”
The results of the investigation have now led the KSA to take action against 14 of the 33 websites examined due to violations.
The KSA also discovered during the investigations that advertisements for seven illegal casinos were also present. The group said it has begun a sanctions process against those illegal providers.
The KSA went on to note that “tackling illegal providers will also be a high priority” this year.
