€1.13m fine issued to Blue High House for unlicensed online gambling

The fine comes off the back of a previous penalty payment order issued to the company for similar violations.

legal
Listen To Article

Key points:

- Blue High House SA fined €1.13m for illegal online gambling offerings targeting Dutch players

- The KSA investigation found significant breaches, including no age verification and features encouraging excessive gaming

- The operator has ceased its activities, but further sanctions may follow if violations reoccur

The Netherlands’ Gaming Authority (KSA) has imposed a fine of €1.13m ($1.18m) on Blue High House SA for operating online gambling services without the required Dutch permit.

This follows a previous penalty payment order issued to the company for similar violations.

The KSA investigation revealed that the website betonline.ag – operated by Blue High House – allowed Dutch players to participate in online gambling without implementing measures to restrict access from the Netherlands. Such activity is prohibited under Dutch law.

While the illegal offerings have now ceased, the KSA emphasised its continued vigilance to ensure Blue High House does not re-enter the market through other means.

Any further violations will result in additional sanctions.

The fine exceeded the baseline penalty of €600,000 due to several aggravating factors identified during the investigation.

These included the absence of age verification measures, allowing minors to gamble; the use of autoplay and turboplay features, which could promote excessive gaming; and the lack of responsible gaming safeguards, such as player-imposed limits.

Commenting on the decision, Michel Groothuizen, Chairman of the KSA board, stated: “The Netherlands has a legal market to ensure that people who want to gamble can do so safely. With illegal providers, such as Blue High House, we often see that risky gaming behaviour is not taken into account in any way.

“For example, players can create an account on this website without having to verify their age, which means that minors can also play. We also saw things like autoplay and turboplay, which can encourage excessive gaming, and there were no gaming limits. The KSA takes tough action against these types of illegal websites.”

The KSA has imposed a number of similar punishments recently, including dishing out a fine to Alimaniere earlier this month for offering unauthorised gambling services to Dutch players.

Premium+ Connections
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium Connections
Consultancy
Executive Profiles
Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC)
Las Vegas Sands Corp.
GambleAware
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa
Virgin Hotels Las Vegas
Follow Us

Facing facts: Nevada vs Macau

How is the Nevada gaming market faring against Macau? Gambli...

Taking stock: Kicking off 2025

Gambling Insider tracks online casino operator and supplier...

Responsible gambling: Who is morally, practically and legally responsible?

Within the ethical complexities of gambling, how much onus f...

Account limits: Legality and fairness in the UK

Paul Sculpher, Director of GRS Recruitment and regular Gambl...

Analysing sports betting data from the Australian Open

Sports betting supplier Betby provides Gambling Insider with...

Company profile: Digitain

Discover Digitain: BUILT TO LEAD iGaming Solutions....

Company profile: DS Virtual Gaming

For two decades, DS Virtual Gaming has been at the forefront...

Exploring X Games' move to sports betting

Gambling Insider’s Megan Elswyth speaks to X Games CEO Jer...