KSA penalises operator over M&A-related management change

Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has warned an unnamed operator that it could face a financial penalty for failing to fully disclose details over a change in management.

The gambling provider in question, which is licensed in the Netherlands, was recently taken over by an international company which led to a change in management. Dutch licensees are required to report these changes to the KSA.

While the operator provided certain information to the regulator, it failed to deliver all the requested details. This failure, KSA said, meant it was not able to carry out a full reliability test as required by Dutch law.

The unidentified operator has been given 20 days from today (11 September) to provide the full details. If it does not do so by the end of this period, it will be ordered to pay €25,000 (£21,089/$27,530) a day, up to a maximum of €250,000.

As soon as it provides the information in full, KSA will halt the financial penalties.

“KSA emphasises the integrity of providers is a high priority,” the Dutch regulator said. “It is the provider’s responsibility to demonstrate this reliability with the correct information. 

“If an investigation by KSA shows that the reliability of a director is not beyond doubt, or if providers do not deliver the correct information, KSA can take enforcement action.”

Tackling rule-breakers in Dutch gambling market
The unnamed operator is the latest to feel the wrath of the KSA in recent weeks and months. 

In August, the regulator ordered operators to abide by payout rules after finding 13 were failing to meet their licence requirements. A KSA investigation found nine online operators were obstructing payouts to customers, with another four suspected of doing so.

None of the operators in this case were identified.

One business that has been identified for breaking rules is JOI Gaming. In July, it was warned by KSA over its use of several role models in gambling adverts.

At the time, KSA warned JOI Gaming it could be fined up to €1.0m should it continue to run the adverts. All ads related to the Jack’s Racing Day motorsport event.

As for wider concerns over the market, KSA chairman Michel Groothuizen told iGB Live in July that illegal operators are “stretching the limits of what is permissible” in the Netherlands.