Dutch illegal bingo
KSA before acted against the same company, claiming to have organised events drawing hundreds of people. Among those who showed up for the illicit bingo events, the regulator claimed were kids.
An previous KSA probe revealed Facebook's "Dordtse Queens" organisation was running bingo advertising. After KSA notified Meta, the main firm of the social media network, these pages were deleted.
But more KSA research turned out the same company running illicit bingo across other pages and advertising on different platforms.
Prizes taken during a raid
KSA inspectors located the venue of a scheduled physical bingo game in Dordrecht. About 200 individuals were present when it launched a raid on the property. Prize items on sale were branded clothes, bags and shoes; these were taken off hand during the raid.
Dutch legislation says bingo is only allowed under very specific circumstances. These include a game inside a closed circle of people who know one another, say within a family or a business.
While prizes can only have a maximum value of €1,550 (£1,356%), associations may also plan bingo for a good cause. These kind of games call for a local government permit.
"KSA notes that people are not always aware of the guidelines surrounding bingos and lotteries," KSA noted. "For bingo, kids are not allowed to join in any circumstance and participation in illicit bingo is in principle also penal. Illegal lotteries and bingos' organisers also run a great danger for a hefty penalties.
KSA tightening down on illicit gaming on Dutch market
This case represents the most recent illustration of KSA's initiatives against national unlawful gambling.
MKC Limited paid €900,000 last month for unlawfully providing gaming services in the Netherlands. The group let Dutch citizens use its unlicensed Betworld247 site for play.
Players might register online at Betworld247 using Dutch address details and engage in online gaming. Citing possible IP blockades as an example, KSA said no technological actions had been done to stop participants from the Netherlands.
KSA claims MKC's activities violated the Dutch Betting and Gaming Act. This requires all operators to lawfully provide gambling services to be locally licensed.
