THE HAGUE - The Dutch Gaming Authority (Ksa) has imposed a fine of 440,000 euros on the Curaçao-based company Raging Rhino. This company offered gambling to Dutch players through the website luckydays.com.
The investigation conducted by the Ksa showed that the Raging Rhino site was accessible from the Netherlands, that the payment method iDEAL, which is common in the Netherlands, was used and that the site referred to an online platform that, among other things, offers help with addiction in the Dutch language. In the period from 1 May 2020 to 31 July 2020, 224,630 transactions were processed via iDEAL from Dutch bank accounts for a total of more than 18 million euros.
Permit
Offering online gambling is only allowed with a permit. It is currently not yet possible to legally offer games of chance via the internet in the Netherlands. That is about to change. On April 1, the Remote Gambling Act (Koa) came into effect. As a result, it is now possible to apply for a license to offer online games of chance. Companies that meet all the strict conditions and receive a license will be allowed to offer games of chance via the internet starting 1 October 2021.
The conditions are aimed at ensuring that there will soon be a safe legal offer, whereby players are assured of fair play and are protected against gambling addiction. “This requires a strict approach to illegal offers, now and also after October 1,” emphasizes René Jansen, chairman of the board of the Ksa.
Billions
The luckydays.com website is no longer accessible from the Netherlands. Raging Rhino paid the fine. The fact that 18 million in turnover was made in just 3 months confirms the estimates that the online gambling sector in Curaçao has to deal with billions, given that there are thousands of sub-licenses in circulation. The Curaçao government does not see a penny of this.
In the absence of supervision, there is no insight whatsoever into which part of the turnover will be paid out as prize money. The Foundation for Victims of Online Games of Chance is inundated with complaints about web casinos operating from Curaçao that refuse to pay out prize money.