Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has issued a €750,000 fine to ComeOn operator Tulipa Ent for failing to prevent excessive gambling.
The penalty follows an investigation which revealed significant lapses in the company’s duty of care responsibilities between December 2023 and September 2024.
The regulator requested 10 player files of young adults with high losses and found violations of the operator’s duty of care in all cases.
The KSA said that indications of potential excessive gambling behavior were not detected in time, often resulting in late or inappropriate intervention, and that the young adult players investigated lost thousands of euros in a very short time and were able to set excessive deposit limits.
“The KSA has previously observed that the implementation of the duty of care by providers varied too widely and often left much to be desired,” said KSA chairman Michel Groothuizen. “We’ve therefore conducted additional research with various providers, resulting in the various duty of care fines we’re now seeing.
“Providers must not falter on something as essential as the duty of care, especially when it concerns vulnerable groups such as young adults.”
The KSA has also imposed a €4.23 million fine on Saint Lucia-based Starscream Limited for offering illegal gambling to Dutch players via Rantcasino.com, Allstarzcasino.com and Sugarcasino.com.
On these sites, it was possible to create a player account, make deposits, and participate in the illegal gambling offered, with no technical measures in place to prevent participation from the Netherlands.
“The Netherlands Gambling Authority has a broad range of instruments at its disposal to tackle illegal providers,” continued Groothuizen. “Imposing an administrative fine is one of them. Although collecting such fines presents challenges, particularly with parties outside the EU, with these fines we continue to send the message that we are taking a firm stance against illegal offerings in the Netherlands.”