This week the Netherlands' highest court ruled that the country's gaming regulator has the right to impose fines against online gaming sites operating within the country's borders without a gaming license.
The District Court in The Hague's decision will allow the Kansspelautoriteit to continue fining companies offering their services to Dutch players without a license, backing up the regulator's decision to fine Mansion and ComeOn €180,000 and €150,000 respectively. The court case was brought on by the casino operators, who claimed the decision was in violation of European Union law. The court disagreed, allowing the decision by the regulator to stand and opening the door to further fines in the future.
The court ruling gives the two companies just one more avenue to appeal to, the Council of State, but it is unknown whether or not the groups will pursue this further, as they're believed to have already paid the fine.
The Netherlands is currently working on liberalizing their gaming market to allow for outside operators to legally offer their games and services to punters, but are looking to maintain the stringent rules for enforcing compliance.
We will be updating this story as we learn whether or not the operators will appeal the decision.