AMSTERDAM: Regulations in certain regions of the world are clamping down in various ways on the proliferation of online gambling made available to anyone who has an internet connection. The regulatory bodies of a number of European Union members have been using censorship and fines to discourage the illegal use of gambling services from these unlicensed operators. Unfortunately many of the methods used to stop illegal use of unlicensed online casinos and sports books have proven to be unsuccessful.
In the Netherlands for example the regulatory body Kansspelaanbieders (KSA), would send warning letters to illegal unlicensed online gambling operators that focused on Dutch players. Then if no compliance was acquired and sufficient warning and explanation were provided the Dutch organization KSA proceeded to issue a fine. Now the Kansspelaanbieders (KSA), is stepping up its attack on the unlicensed gambling operators in the new year which will include much larger fines and penalties for those serving Dutch players in the jurisdiction.
Current internet gambling laws in the Netherlands stipulates the maximum penalty of €150,000 per violation which has been levied on a number of operators over the years, but the actual amounts were not as high as the maximum. Now however from January 2017, online gambling operators offering services to Dutch players will be exposed to a heavy six-figure fine. Depending on the offense, an online operator may face a fine of up to €820,000 under the new rules.
Again there may be a disconnect between the issuing of the fines for gambling offenses and the actual collecting of the determined funds. Jan Suyver of KSA admitted that without the necessary legal involvement and cooperation with other nations, it would be nearly impossible for KSA to collect any of these imposed fines. This and other issues has the government appearing as if they are doing something about the loss of revenue from illegal online gambling but in fact Suyver explained that fines don’t concern or deter the violating operators that much.
