Casino.com fined €450,000 by Dutch regulator

(PRESS RELEASE) -- The Gaming Authority (KSA) has imposed a fine of €450,000 on the company Onisac Limited of €450,000. Onisac, based in Gibraltar, is the company behind the Casino.com website.

The fine of €450,000 has various components. €200,000 was imposed for offering online games of chance. This is only permitted in the Netherlands if a permit has been granted. The current Betting and Gaming Act offers no possibility for this. A further fine was imposed because Onisac already received a fine from the KSA in 2013. René Jansen, Chairman of the KSA, "This is a repeat offender. That makes the violation extra harmful and is reason to double the fine."

The remaining fine for €50,000 was imposed because the company, in addition to offering online gambling illegally, also charged unreasonable administration costs. The company charged players a 5% administration fee each month if they were inactive for 180 days, with a minimum of $15 and a maximum of $500. A one-time warning was given 30 days in advance. This practice continued as long as there was money in the player account. The KSA assesses this as an unreasonable disadvantage for consumers. The site casino.com is now offline for Dutch users.

Tackling illegal online gambling is a priority of the KSA, laid down in the Surveillance Agenda 2018-2019. There is no control over a fair game, measures to prevent gambling addiction and participation by minors.