The Dutch gambling authority whose goal is to “create a world where gambling services are reliable, operators are transparent, and players are protected,” the Netherlands Gaming Authority (KSA), might be getting ready to collect the highest enforcement fee in its history.
The independent administrative body is trying to impose a whopping €19.7 million ($21.3 million) on Gammix Limited, a company with a clear focus on offering the best entertainment for its players while ”ensuring great games for the ultimate entertainment in gambling.”
Six Weeks to Pay
The reason behind the fine is the gaming company’s inability to take action and block Dutch consumers from the online casinos it powers, including Blue Vegas, Rant Casino, and Bet Original.
The company has other brands under its umbrella, including Go Slot, Cashi Mashi, Vega Dream, Scatters, and Nord Slot.
The refusal to stop Dutch gamblers from accessing its sites comes after the company has already been issued a previous fine of €4.4 million ($4.33 million).
According to KSA investigators, players using Dutch IP addresses can still register their accounts. Moreover, the Netherlands was not found on the list of excluded countries. Also, a representative of the regulator was able to complete deposits using a bank account based in the country.
The ruling states that Gammix has six weeks to pay the penalties.
Gammix Expected to Once Again Object the Fine
The amount of the fine is calculated based on a series of factors, including the estimated turnover that the operator is expected to obtain from Dutch players, as well as a series of additional circumstances and accentuating factors.
For Gammix, these factors were the fact that it failed to apply the age verification procedure, which KSA’s chairman, René Jansen, called “extremely harmful” and also the availability of autoplay and turboplay modes.
Both, according to the KSA, encourage excessive gambling behavior.
The company has already refused to pay the previous penalty imposed by the KSA and is expected to do it again.
However, in case the fine is successfully collected, it would reach an important milestone representing the highest enforcement fee in the history of the authority established in 2012.
Gammix, which possesses a license issued by the Malta Gaming Authority but no Netherlands license, explained that its services are not aimed at the Netherlands while calling the “mystery shopper” investigation style as conducted by the gaming authority in the country illegal.
The same operator called the estimated turnover from Dutch players as being “unrealistic and incorrect.”