In the Netherlands and the past twelve months have reportedly seen the nation’s Kansspelautoriteit gaming regulator issue fines against online casino and sportsbetting firms totalling some €3.5 million ($3.9 million).

According to a Sunday report from the online news domain at DutchNews.nl, the final figure is more than double the aggregate levied in 2018 and involved penalties against a record ten operators including prominent providers such as The Stars Group Incorporated, Kindred Group and GVC Holdings.

Swelled sanction:

The domain reported that Swedish online casino operator LeoVegas AB and its Royal Panda Limited subsidiary also fell foul of the Kansspelautoriteit this year with the swelled penalty figure moreover said to be down to an increase in the maximum solitary fine amount to €200,000 ($224,315).

Muddled market:

DutchNews.nl reported that the state-owned Holland Casino is the only enterprise currently licensed to provide punters in the Netherlands with gaming entertainment. However, the site detailed that multiple foreign iGaming firms regularly flout this prohibition by targeting Dutch players via the provision of local language and payment processing services.

Looming deregulation:

This state of affairs was reportedly made even more opaque in February following the passage of the Remote Gambling Bill, which is set to open up the Dutch iGaming market to outside competition from as early as 2021.  This piece of legislation will purportedly require licensed operators to pay a Europe-high 29% tax rate and prominently display anti-addiction messages while mandating that all players register and establish a maximum betting limit.

In the meantime, DutchNews.nl reported that any firms that have been sanctioned by the Kansspelautoriteit are to be obliged to fulfill a ‘cooling off period’ before being allowed to apply for one of the coming Dutch iGaming licenses.