The Netherlands gambling regulator has fined an online gambling affiliate for promoting Malta-licensed websites to players in the Netherlands.
Gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has issued a €675,000 fine to Albania-based Red Ridge Marketing, the operator of affiliate websites providing reviews and links to online casinos that operate outside the Dutch licensing system.
The fine was imposed after the company continued to promote unlicensed gambling in the Netherlands, despite a warning from the regulator.
According to the KSA, Red Ridge websites such as casinojager.com and nederlandseonlinecasino.com published “careless and misleading statements about online casinos without a Dutch license”.
This included promoting offshore sites as a preferable alternative to Netherlands licensed websites due to the availability of bonuses, autoplay functionality, and as a way to evade the CRUKS self-exclusion system.
An analysis of casinojager.com found that the website attracted an estimated 296,408 visitors from the Netherlands in the twelve months to 1 May 2022.
As a result of the violation, the KSA has fined Red Ridge Marketing €300,000 in the form of a base fine, plus a further €375,000 due to aggravating circumstances such as the targeting of vulnerable groups and making false statements regarding licensing.
“Promoters of illegal gambling providers also get our attention,” said KSA chairman René Jansen. “They must also comply with the law, especially when it comes to protecting young adults. We will do everything we can to stop these practices.”