Dutch gambling regulator issues record €24.8m fine

• The gambling regulator in the Netherlands issued two monetary sanctions, one of which was the largest-ever fine
• Fortaprime SRL was hit with a €1,795,000 fine, while Novatech received a mind-blowing €24.8m sanction
• Michel Groothuizen, KSA's Chairman of the Board, reveals that the sanctions would've been even higher if not for restrictions regarding fines in the country

The Dutch gambling regulator, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), announced two fines against what it describes as illegal gambling operators, including the largest-ever sanction to date.

On Tuesday, the KSA confirmed the fines affect Novatech and Fortaprime SRL.

Novatech receives the largest fine to date from the KSA

An investigation of the gambling watchdog uncovered the two operators offered gambling to Dutch residents illegally.

"The Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) is fining both illegal gambling operators Fortaprime SRL and Novatech for illegal gambling," reads a statement released by the gambling regulator.

Interestingly, the fine against Fortaprime is €1,795,000, which is a significant sum.

However, the monetary sanction against Novatech is even greater and in fact marks the largest-ever penalty issued over illegal gambling.

Per the KSA's latest announcement, Novatech was handed a whopping €24,846,000 fine.

Currently, under Dutch law, fines for illegal gambling can be turnover-related in cases where the standard fines may be disproportionate.

According to the Dutch gambling regulator, the two cases with Fortaprime and Novatech fell in such category, which demanded the implementation of fines greater than the standard ones.

The monetary sanctions would've been greater if not for restrictions under Dutch law

Michel Groothuizen, KSA's Chairman of the Board, commented: "We determine the fine based on the (estimated) turnover the illegal provider generated from players in the Netherlands."

He added that in light of this limit, which is in line with the country's laws, a fine cannot exceed 10% of the global turnover of the affected gambling operator.

"Novatech earned hundreds of millions from its illegal offering, primarily from Dutch players," Groothuizen said.

Last but not least, he stressed: "A fine of 24 million sounds impressive, but without the 10% maximum, the fine would have exceeded 100 million euros; an amount that would be more appropriate for this offense."

The KSA's announcement confirms that the hefty monetary sanctions follow an investigation that determined several websites from the two operators were accessible to Dutch customers.

Such is the case for amonbet101.com, supraplay.com, amonbet.com, bilucky.com, gxspins.com, kaasino.com, hiddenjack.com, and luckymax7.com (Fortaprime), as well as Qbet.com and 55Bet.com (Novatech), which, per the gambling watchdog, enabled Dutch residents to participate in gambling activities.

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