KSA hits Starscream with €280,000 weekly fine for illegal casino operations
The Netherlands’ gambling authority, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has issued a formal enforcement order against Starscream, an online casino operator, for offering illegal gambling services to Dutch players. The company now faces a recurring weekly fine of €280,000, with a maximum penalty capped at €840,000.
Starscream violates Dutch gambling laws
According to the KSA, Starscream breached national gambling laws by failing to block access to its casino platforms – rantcasino.com, sugarcasino.com, and allstarzcasino.com – for players based in the Netherlands. The investigation revealed that the company’s inadequate geoblocking measures enabled unlicensed gambling services to be accessible from within the country.
As per Dutch law, online gambling operators must hold a licence from the KSA to legally offer their services to Dutch consumers. Starscream does not possess such a licence.
Weekly penalty kicks in
The enforcement order means that Starscream is now liable to pay €280,000 for every week the illegal platforms remain accessible to Dutch users. The fine can accumulate to a maximum of €840,000, covering three consecutive weeks of non-compliance.
The KSA confirmed that the penalty structure is designed to pressure unlicensed operators into immediate compliance. If Starscream ceases operations targeting the Dutch market, the fines will stop accumulating.
KSA steps up enforcement in Q2 2025
The action against Starscream is part of a wider enforcement drive by the KSA in the second quarter of 2025. Earlier this month, the regulator imposed a fine of €1.2 million on Techno Offshore for operating illegal online casino platforms without a Dutch licence.
Shortly after, the KSA fined an unnamed operator €734,000 for failing to prevent underage users from accessing its gambling services – a critical breach of Dutch regulations.
Focus on combatting illegal apps and esports gambling
In early April, the KSA also announced that it would increase its focus on illegal gambling apps throughout 2025. The move aims to counter the growing trend of unregulated gambling platforms accessible via mobile devices.
In a related action last week, the KSA served a similar €280,000 per week penalty order against Gamusoft. The company, which facilitates skin gambling linked to the esports title Counter-Strike 2, was found offering unlicensed games of chance to players in the Netherlands. Like Starscream, Gamusoft faces escalating weekly fines until its operations comply with national laws.
