On Friday, the Dutch gaming authority (KSA) revoked a lottery licence that had been fraudulently acquired using the name of the amateur football club Quick Boys. The KSA revealed that a person had impersonated the club's chairman while applying for the licence, which enabled the operation of a lottery through several websites that sold tickets.
The regulatory body clarified that Quick Boys had no part in securing the licence and is regarded as a victim of identity fraud.
In light of this discovery, the KSA issued a consumer warning, advising individuals against submitting personal or financial details on the implicated websites. Those who had bought tickets were encouraged to reach out to their banks, file a police report, and inform both the national fraud helpdesk and the KSA to help evaluate the extent of the fraud.
The KSA confirmed that it has initiated a police investigation of its own regarding the matter and has refrained from further comments as inquiries are ongoing.
The incident aligns with a broader trend, as the regulator has noted an increase in attempts to obtain licences through false information, exploiting the legitimacy of these licences to illicitly attract consumer funds. There have been cases where the KSA's enhanced verification measures have successfully thwarted such fraudulent activities, although it has not disclosed specifics about those instances.
In response to the Quick Boys affair, the KSA has promptly reinforced its identity verification protocols and intensified the scrutiny of domain names listed in its public Gambling Guide (Kansspelwijzer). Ella Seijsener, the KSA's director of licensing, emphasized the necessity of maintaining consumer trust in licensed operations and acknowledged the serious implications of this breach. “We take the fact that a scammer managed to mislead our application process very seriously,” she commented.
Additionally, the KSA has revisited its guidance on statutory means testing for online gambling participants, following inspections that revealed ongoing issues despite advances in the sector. This means test aims to ensure players do not gamble beyond their financial capabilities and forms a vital part of the KSA’s "duty of care" framework introduced in 2024.
