KSA Tackling Illegal Sportsbetting

The regulation towards online gambling is a never-ending battle. Regulators are continuously changing the laws, hoping that it will provide the requirement for customer safety. The latest regulator to implement new changes in the KSA, a Dutch-Affiliated association. KSA confirmed that these new regulations would be enforced in 2020, with local authorities in the Netherlands assisting with future arrests. Targets have been site to support 50x more authorities than previously required with old legislation, allowing for better safety for consumers in the Netherlands.

Speaking with industry insiders, the KSA noted that as a governing entity, their concern has always been illegal games of chance. An example of this would be unlawful poker tournaments held via online servers in the Netherlands, with their locations often unidentified due to the lack of support. That will change going forward, with the KSA educating these local authorities on the necessary checks required to locate these illegal compounds. The KSA is also providing funds for additional support officers and inspectors.

It should be noted that the KSA Dutch Regulator will remain as the primary investigator, informing most of these authorities as to where they can locate these criminals. This will be provided through expertise reports every month. Going forward, all online operators will have to give the KSA monthly reports on their business activities. Analysts will review those reports, indicating if any illegal activities or missing information is found. Immediate fines or criminal proceedings will follow.

Additional Updates

This governing authority has extensively been updating its provisions before the first quarter of 2020. The industry stakeholder’s legislation was updated in November on its provisional guidance. This related to the licensing process for online casinos and sports betting facilities, with these new laws slated to take effect on July 1st, 2020. The core requirements for new operators have been detailed with this legislation, confirming that applications alone will cost €45,000.00 and won’t have any guaranteed refund if requests are denied. Subsequently, analysts anticipate that there will be a significant decline of new operators in the Netherlands. Failing to secure permits without the remittance of funds is a primary concern for potential new operators. Unfortunately, this lowers new job opportunities in the industry.

There will be four license variants maintained with the KSA going forward. These variant types start in July 2020 and include the Casino Games License. This extends to the P2P, Sportsbetting, and Horseracing licenses. This Dutch Regulator hasn’t provided any details on how much re-submissions will cost operators, with concerns indicating that the prices will be similar. Subsequently, there’s a chance that Dutch Markets will shutdown in five years.