De Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa) has imposed substantial fines totaling over €26 million on two illegal gambling operators for targeting Dutch players, with one penalty setting a new enforcement record.
Record-Breaking Enforcement Action
Novatech received the highest fine ever issued by the Ksa at €24,846,000, while Fortaprime SRL was penalized €1,795,000 for operating unauthorized gambling websites accessible to Netherlands residents. Both companies had previously received enforcement orders under penalty payments before these latest sanctions.
The violations involved multiple gambling sites operated by each company. Fortaprime ran eight websites including amonbet101.com, supraplay.com, amonbet.com, bilucky.com, gxspins.com, kaasino.com, hiddenjack.com, and luckymax7.com. Novatech operated Qbet.com and 55Bet.com, allowing Dutch players to participate in illegal gambling activities.
€24,846,000
Highest Ksa Fine (Novatech)
€1,795,000
Fortaprime Penalty
€26,641,000
Combined Fine Total
8
Illegal Websites (Fortaprime)
2
Illegal Websites (Novatech)
10%
Maximum Fine Cap (% of Worldwide Turnover)
€100,000,000
Uncapped Fine Calculation
Systemic Compliance Failures
Ksa investigators successfully created player accounts, made deposits, and participated in gambling on the investigated sites, revealing no technical measures were in place to prevent participation from the Netherlands. The violations were compounded by several aggravating factors, including the absence of visible age verification systems.
Important
Players could pay with cryptocurrency and anonymous payment methods, facilitating money laundering according to the Ksa assessment.
Warning
The Ksa investigation reveals critical warning signs of illegal operators: absence of geoblocking technology, lack of visible licensing information, anonymous payment acceptance, and failure to implement basic age verification protocols during account registration.
Revenue-Based Penalty Calculations
The Ksa opted for revenue-related fines rather than standard penalties, estimating both operators earned substantial profits from Dutch players. However, Dutch law constrains enforcement effectiveness by capping fines at 10% of worldwide turnover.
“We determine the fine amount based on the (estimated) revenue that the illegal provider achieved from players in the Netherlands. We are limited by the law that says the fine may be a maximum of 10% of worldwide turnover. Novatech earned hundreds of millions from its illegal offering, and did so mainly from players in the Netherlands. A fine of 24 million sounds impressive, but without the maximum of 10%, the fine would have amounted to more than 100 million euros; an amount that would better fit this violation.”
— Michel Groothuizen, Chairman of Ksa
Broader Enforcement Strategy
The Ksa's approach extends beyond administrative fines to include collaboration with payment service providers, hosting companies, banks, and major technology firms. The authority also targets promotional activities, noting that Dutch influencers advertised Fortaprime's offerings and warning that influencers promoting illegal operators face potential sanctions.
Multi-Stakeholder Enforcement Approach
The Ksa's comprehensive strategy involves coordinating with financial institutions to block payment processing, working with internet service providers to restrict domain access, and leveraging relationships with search engines and social media platforms to limit promotional reach of illegal operators.
Regulatory Limitations Expose Enforcement Gaps
While Novatech's €24.8 million penalty represents the Ksa's largest fine to date, the €100 million calculation without legal caps reveals significant gaps between illegal profits and achievable penalties. This disparity highlights ongoing challenges in creating effective deterrents against offshore gambling operators targeting regulated markets.
According to KSA.
Legal Disclaimer
This content reflects a general overview of regulatory frameworks based on publicly available information. It does not constitute legal advice or a legal opinion. iGamingWriter.blog disclaims any liability arising from reliance on this material.
