Dutch regulator fines Blue High House for unlicensed online gaming

Content Team October 17, 2023

The Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) has imposed a penalty on Panama-registered operator Blue High House SA for offering online gambling services in the Netherlands without the required licence. The KSA stated that the operator’s website, betonline.ag, allowed Dutch customers to gamble and was therefore violating the Netherlands’ online gambling regulations. The regulator has called for the operator’s immediate cessation of services to Dutch customers, warning that non-compliance will result in a weekly penalty of a minimum of €43,000, capped at €129,000.

Large Dutch customer base

The KSA selects operators for investigation based on factors such as the estimated number of Dutch customers using their services. Betonline.ag was singled out for its significant player base, with the KSA highlighting that Blue High House also permitted Dutch customers to play on various Netherlands-focused websites.

Between May 2022 and May 2023, betonline.ag received approximately 137,000 visits from the Netherlands. The website even allowed users to specify the Netherlands as their home country and make deposits from Dutch bank accounts.

Investigation and sanctions

The KSA’s penalty follows investigations conducted between December 2021 and January 2022, which revealed that customers from the Netherlands could create accounts, deposit funds, and gamble on betonline.ag without encountering any effective preventive measures.

Subsequent assessments in March 2022 and throughout March, June, and August 2023 reaffirmed that Dutch customers could still access and use the website. As a result, the KSA has imposed this detailed sanction and is demanding payment within two weeks of its decision.

Netherlands’ ongoing clampdown

The KSA had previously announced its intent to target unlicensed operators during its H1 2023 update. Notably, this year, the regulator has already issued substantial fines, totalling millions of euros, to various non-compliant entities. In a recent case, Malta-based LCS Limited was fined €2.07 million for failing to adhere to a cease an order issued in August of the previous year. The Netherlands’ stringent regulatory stance on online gambling is very evident, with the KSA maintaining its commitment to enforcing its regulations and safeguarding the Dutch market.

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