The Dutch Gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit has closed down an illegal Bingo operation in Dordrecht near Rotterdam.
KSA took previous action against this same organisation which, it claimed, hosted events that attracted thousands of people. According to the regulator, minors attended illegal bingo sessions.
A KSA earlier investigation revealed that the Dordtse queens operation advertised bingo on Facebook. Meta, parent company of social media platform Facebook, removed these pages after KSA contacted them.
Further investigations carried out by KSA found that the same organization continued to advertise illegal bingo on other websites and pages.
Treasures confiscated in raid
Inspectors of KSA located the planned location for a physical bingo in Dordrecht. The raid was conducted at the location, which had approximately 200 attendees. The prizes included brand clothing, shoes and bags. These were confiscated by the police during their raid.
Dutch law stipulates that bingo can only be played under certain conditions. This includes a bingo game that is played within a circle of known people, like a family.
Associaciones may organize bingo to raise money for charity. The prizes are limited to EUR1,550 (1,356 PS/$1,683). This type of game requires a local permit.
KSA stated that it was “aware” of people’s ignorance about the rules governing bingos and lottery games. In the case of bingo, it is also illegal to play in an unlicensed bingo. Minors cannot participate. The fines for illegal bingos and lotteries are also high.
KSA cracks down on illegal gambling at Dutch markets
The latest case in KSA’s fight against illegal gambling is this one.
MKC Limited, a company based in Amsterdam, was fined EUR900,000.00 for offering illegal gambling services to Dutch residents. Dutch players were allowed to gamble at Betworld247, a site that was not licensed.
Betworld247 allows players to create an account using Dutch details and play online. KSA stated that no technical measures were taken to stop participants from Netherlands. They cited potential IP blocks as an example.
KSA claims that MKC violated the Dutch Betting and Gaming Act. The Dutch Betting and Gaming Act requires that all operators be licensed locally to offer legal gaming services.
MKC also lost its Maltese license earlier in the year.
