Dutch regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has fined GoldWin Limited €6.7m (£5.9m/$7.2m) for illegally offering gambling in the Netherlands.

This comes after KSA announced that MKC Limited was today fined €900,000, also for offering illegal gambling.

The fact that the Malta-based company GoldWin does not have a license to offer gambling in the Netherlands and yet does so constitutes a violation of Article 1(1) of the Dutch Betting and Gambling Act (WOK).

KSA claimed that Netherlands-based players could play on Westcasino.com, which is operated by GoldWin. On December 22, 2022, the company began investigating GoldWin, creating an account with Dutch data and placing bets on the operator’s website.

The regulator said no measures had been taken to bar players from the Netherlands from taking part.

Accessible to Dutch residents

KSA cited data showing that Westcasino.com received 843,132 visits from the Netherlands in 2022. The website and customer service were available in English but could be translated into Dutch.

On January 23, 2023, the KSA announced that it intended to impose a criminal order against GoldWin. Westcasino.com was subsequently investigated again on March 2, 2023, with the KSA stating that the website remained accessible to people in the Netherlands. This only applies if the word “employee” appears in a customer’s name or email address.

The punitive order was issued to GoldWin on April 20, 2023 and ordered it to stop offering games in the Netherlands.

The total sentence depended on several circumstances. This included GoldWin’s estimated Dutch sales, which KSA forecasts using a calculation method. It is estimated that a visit from the Netherlands to an unlicensed remote gambling site generates €230.2 in revenue for the operator.

KSA decided to set the fine at 7% of the estimated Dutch turnover, which corresponds to €6.7 million.

Regulatory developments

The decision was signed by KSA Chairman René Jansen, who will step down from his position at the end of his current term. His term ends on October 1, 2024.

During his time at the regulator, Jansen oversaw the introduction of regulated online gambling in the Netherlands.

Earlier this month, LCS Limited announced that it would “aggressively” appeal a €2.1 million fine imposed by the KSA for allegedly offering gambling without a license in the Netherlands. According to KSA, LCS has made its website Sonofslots.com available to Dutch residents.