The Netherlands Gaming Authority, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has fined Blue High House €1,125,000 for offering unlicensed online gambling products in the Dutch market.
The KSA found that Blue High House, which owns and operates BetOnline.ag, allowed customers based in the Netherlands to access its website, create accounts, and place sports bets or play online casinos games. It also had an offer tailored to the Dutch market.
During its investigation, the KSA noted several breaches that led to a higher fine than the basic fine of €600,000. The website’s offer has been withdrawn and the KSA will monitor it to ensure that it will no longer accept local customers. If any further breaches are discovered, a larger fine could be leveled at Blue High House.
This is the second time that the company has been penalized by the KSA though it’s the first time that the regulator took action against its flagship site BetOnline. Back in 2023, the KSA issued an order subject to a financial penalty to the company in relation to illegal access to its concretline.ag site. The order demanded that the company must withdraw from the Dutch market or face a penalty of €43,000 ($45,332) per week up to a maximum of €129,000 ($135,997).
Speaking of the latest breach, Michel Groothuizen, chairpersonof the board of the KSA said:
‘The Netherlands has a legal market to ensure that people who want to gamble can do so safely. With illegal providers, such as in this case blue high house, we often see that risky gaming behavior is not taken into account in any way. For example, players can create an account on this website without having to verify their age, which means that minors can also play.
We also saw things like autoplay and turboplay, which can encourage excessive gaming, and there were no gaming limits. The Ksa takes tough action against these types of illegal websites.’
This brings the total gambling fines issued so far in 2024 to € 168,002,982 / $175,086,486 / £139,064,377.
iGaming writer with over a decade of experience in sports betting and online casino reporting.
