Dutch Regulator Slams Illegal Operators Over “Corona-free” Ads

Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the gambling regulator in the Netherlands, has blasted illegal operators for publishing ads that encourage consumers towards illegal online gambling services. All the licenced gaming venues in the country are closed due to the outbreak of coronavirus.

KSA said that following the mass closure, there has been a surge in advertising by online operators. iGaming is banned in the country till the market becomes active from July 2021, after the Remote Gambling Act comes into force from 1 January.

“We see that illegal online providers are trying to take advantage of the current situation; that is unacceptable. We have even seen consumers lured into what is known as a Corona-free offering. Completely objectionable,” KSA chairman René Jansen said.

“The parties that do this, the providers themselves as well as their advertisers, can count on the KSA’s keen interest. Parties that use this type of practice can be assured that this will weigh heavily in a possible application for an online gambling licence,” René Jansen added.