KSA imposes record €37 million fine on unlicensed operator managing over 10 sites

The Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) has issued its largest-ever fine, amounting to €37 million, against EOD Code SRL for operating unlicensed online gambling services targeting players within the Netherlands. 

Thursday’s significant enforcement action follows an extensive investigation revealing the company’s unauthorised provision of gambling platforms accessible to Dutch users.

The KSA inquiry found that EOD Code SRL managed a network of over a dozen gambling websites, including platforms such as Instantcasino, Skyhills, Slotmonster, Betiro, Betblast, Fastslots, Goldenpanda, Sambaslots, Winningz, Incognitocasino, Foxygold, and Luckypays.

Crucially, these sites allowed Dutch residents to place bets despite the operator lacking a valid Dutch licence, thereby violating national gambling laws.

KSA inspectors confirmed that bets could be successfully placed from within the Netherlands on several of these sites. This access directly contravenes regulations requiring licensed operators to block Dutch users from unlicensed gambling services.

Unclear age verification procedures

The authority raised concerns about numerous aggravating factors affecting these websites. Notably, many displayed inadequate or unclear age verification procedures, undermining efforts to prevent underage gambling. 

Underage gambling has long been a thorn in the KSA’s side. In reaction to a supposed growing debt crisis in the country the politician Meryam Sümer of the Christian Democratic Party called to raise the minimum legal age for online gambling from 18 to 24 earlier this year. 

With one in five young individuals in Enschede currently in debt, Sümer has urged authorities to increase the legal age, blaming temptation through gambling advertising as a frequent issue.  

“The key is to reduce temptations,” she said, advocating for tighter regulation to shield youth from exposure that may lead to problematic gambling or debt accumulation. 

Moreover, the operator accepted various payment methods including cryptocurrencies and other anonymous channels. The KSA warned that these options elevate money laundering risks and complicate the enforcement of consumer protection standards.

Unauthorised gambling activities continue 

Under Dutch gambling law, the Ksa can impose fixed administrative fines or opt for a revenue-based fine when the operator’s illegal turnover justifies a higher penalty. 

In this instance, the regulator estimated EOD Code’s substantial income derived from Dutch bettors, prompting the decision to apply a sanction proportional to revenue.

The resulting €37 million fine is the highest levied to date by the KSA for unauthorised gambling activities.

However, the fight against illegal gambling remains very much in the background for the regulator. A Dutch study, published earlier this month, discovered that popular generative AI chat and search assistants frequently direct users towards online gambling sites lacking official Dutch licences.  

All 10 tools, including platforms such as ChatGPT, Claude and Meta AI,  named at least one non-licensed operator by either name or domain in at least one conversation. Eight tools responded with non-licensed operator names to neutral or leading questions without explicit research intent.

Four tools, including Mistral Le Chat, Google AI Mode, DeepSeek and Grok, generated unlicensed site names after just a single question.