The Netherlands' gaming regulator Kansspelautoriteit is continuing on its wave of fines against operators, this time fining bet365 operating company New Media Malta €400,000 for breaching advertising rules.
The company was found to have violated Dutch rules regarding gambling ads when an 18-year-old reported that they were getting emails from bet365 regarding signing up at the casino, including bonus offers. Under Dutch law, operators in the country cannot target consumers aged 18 to 24, as they're considered young adults.
The reporting of the emails sent KSA into investigation mode, looking into the period between October 26th 2021 and February 1st, 2022. The research found multiple emails that were sent to young adults, and that the operator was in violation of Article 2, Paragraph 4 of the Dutch Gambling Act. The initial fine was €350,000, but raised to €400,000 after noting the lapse took place over a number of months.
In a statement, the KSA wrote: "Vulnerable groups, such as young adults, must be given extra protection. The brains of young people are still developing. As a result, they are extra vulnerable to developing a gambling addiction.
"Gaming providers must fully respect the rules intended to protect vulnerable groups. That did not happen here and therefore we issued this fine."
For its part, bet365 says that the KSA misinterpreted the verbiage of the Act, and that the ban isn't a blanket on promotional messages, but is rather based on specifically targeting people in that age group. The company has not announced whether they will appeal the fine.
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Comments
The KSA is on the warparth! They sure seem to mean business, don't they?
I agree slim! They're certainly on a journey, wondering what their target goal is? Also, while I understand the Dutch laws can be different, it's a bit strange to see that you're not supposed to be emailed anything gambling related until you're over 24 years old. Not saying it's a bad thing but I've never seen it before.
Ahahahaha, Im so happy that this is about BET365 getting fined lmao. Ya, im still bitter over what they did to me. Still leaves a bad taste in my mouth, buncha goons.
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