Key point:
- The Rotterdam District Court has called BML Group and Corona Limited to repay €385,378 to a customer
- The defendants will also be required to pay €5,751 in procedural costs
The Rotterdam District Court has ordered Betsson’s BML Group and Corona Limited to repay €385,378 ($436,236) to a customer who lost the amount on unregulated sites run by the companies.
The plaintiff, from Schiedam, played on BML platforms including Betsson, Kroon Casino and others in 2014, before online casinos were regulated in the Netherlands. The defendants, BML Group and Corona Limited, must therefore pay back the money lost, alongside €5,751 in procedural costs, which must be paid within 14 days to avoid statutory interest.
The judgement was immediately enforceable. Failure to comply will result in a judgement being served and an additional fee of €92.
Indeed, online gaming only became regulated in 2021. This year saw 10 licences awarded for online gaming, with Betsson opting to stop accepting Dutch customers on its international websites in October of that year. Still, the operator does not hold a Dutch gaming licence, though it acquired Holland Gaming Technology in February 2024 in order to return to the market.
Despite the case relating to online gaming from over a decade ago, illegal gaming in the Netherlands has been a persistent issue. According to the FY24 report from Dutch regulator, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), while its gross gaming result reached €1.47bn ($1.67bn) for the year, up 6%, 50% of total gambling expenditure in the nation is circulating amongst illegal parties.
Good to know: Earlier this month, the KSA fined Techno Offshore €1.2m for illegal casino operations
This is despite the regulator’s player protection efforts, which are outlined in the results of a separate report.
For 2025, the regulator is set to prioritise addiction prevention through a dedicated team.
