The Dutch gaming authority, known as KSA, has revoked a lottery licence that was fraudulently obtained in the name of Quick Boys, an amateur football club. According to the regulator, the licence was secured by an unidentified person impersonating the club’s chairman during the application process. This fraudulent licence was then used to create multiple websites selling lottery tickets.
KSA clarified that Quick Boys had no part in the licence application and is regarded as a victim of identity theft.
In light of this incident, consumers have been warned against providing personal or financial information on the associated websites. Those who purchased tickets are advised to contact their banks, file a police report, and alert both the national fraud helpdesk and KSA to help assess the fraud's scope.
While investigations are ongoing, the KSA confirmed it has already filed its own police report but declined to provide further comments.
The regulator has observed an increase in attempts to obtain licences using false information, which scammers exploit to illegitimately attract consumer funds. KSA mentioned that enhanced verification processes recently thwarted similar fraud in at least one other case, although they did not name the operator involved.
In reaction to the Quick Boys case, KSA has strengthened its identity verification protocols and increased scrutiny over the domain names in its public Gambling Guide, the Kansspelwijzer.
Ella Seijsener, the KSA director of licensing, highlighted the critical need for consumer trust in licensed operations and acknowledged the severity of the breach. "We take the fact that a scammer managed to mislead our application process very seriously," she stated.
The KSA has also recently revised its guidance on statutory means testing for online gambling players, following inspections that revealed ongoing deficiencies in the sector, even with improvements noted. This means test aims to ensure players do not gamble beyond their financial means and is a crucial aspect of KSA’s "duty of care" framework established in 2024.
