Kansspelautoriteit Enforcement: Sanctions for Foreign Sites

The Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa) is cracking down on foreign gambling sites operating without a Dutch license. The regulator issues high fines and orders subject to periodic penalty payments to illegal providers and their partners, such as affiliates and payment service providers. For players, gambling on these sites is not punishable, but they lack consumer protection, have no right to assistance in disputes, and run a fiscal risk.

Sancties and enforcement instruments against illegal providers

The Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa) enforces the Remote Gambling Act by actively taking action against illegal providers targeting Dutch players without a license. In doing so, the regulator focuses on heavy financial sanctions, such as high fines and an administrative order subject to a penalty payment, to quickly terminate the activities of foreign sites and protect consumers. It is important to distinguish between administrative enforcement by the Ksa and criminal enforcement. The Ksa imposes administrative sanctions. In case of serious, structural violations, however, the Public Prosecution Service may proceed with criminal prosecution, although the focus is primarily on the administrative law process for efficient market correction.

How high are the fines for foreign casinos?

The financial consequences for operators violating Dutch law can be significant. The Ksa often imposes fines running into several million euros, depending on the severity and duration of the violation. A concrete example is the sanction against LCS Limited; this entity was fined 2,074,000 euros for offering online games of chance without the required license to players in the Netherlands. Blue High House S.A. was also previously targeted for similar practices. These measures show that the Ksa does not hesitate to hand out severe sanctions to illegal providers who do not comply with the rules of the Remote Gambling Act. For players themselves, there are no direct criminal sanctions, but they do face financial risk due to the lack of consumer protection at these sites.

How the order subject to a penalty payment works

In addition to one-off fines, the Kansspelautoriteit uses an administrative order subject to a penalty payment (Bestuursdwangsom). This instrument differs fundamentally from a regular fine: it is a coercive measure that keeps increasing as long as the violation continues. The amount is often linked to the estimated gross gaming revenue of the site from Dutch visitors and the burdens a legal licensee would bear. By directly hitting the ongoing revenue stream of illegal providers, the Ksa forces a swift cessation of activities. If a company, such as Savant recently, does not respond to warnings or take measures to block Dutch players, the penalty payment can quickly accumulate to a substantial amount.

Prioritization of enforcement investigations

The Ksa selects which foreign sites are prioritized in enforcement investigations based on specific risk criteria. Central to this are the number of Dutch players using the site and the potential danger to vulnerable groups, such as minors and young adults. To support this process, the authority is increasingly using Artificial Intelligence to automatically scan the web for illegal activities and advertisements. In addition, the Ksa cooperates with partners such as Google, Meta, and payment service providers to pick up signals about illegal providers and their promoters more quickly. This targeted approach ensures that resources are deployed where the damage to the Dutch market is greatest.

The network approach: addressing promoters and partners

The Kansspelautoriteit's enforcement of foreign sites does not focus solely on the licensees, but on the entire ecosystem. By cooperating with tech giants, payment service providers, and tackling promoters, the regulator attempts to cut off illegal cash flows and visibility. Addressing the entire network is necessary because blocking a single domain does not stop the operator.

Role of tech giants Google and Meta

Google and Meta actively block illegal advertisements. The Kansspelautoriteit structurally cooperates with these platforms to block advertisements for unlicensed providers and remove apps from stores. This cooperation limits the discoverability of illegal casinos that would otherwise reach Dutch players via search engines or social media. Without these digital blocks, the offering remains too visible to consumers. In addition to these tech giants, the Advertising Code Committee (Reclame Code Commissie) also plays a role in the self-regulation of advertising, although the Ksa is the primary enforcer for illegal offerings. The Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) also supervises unfair commercial practices, which sometimes overlaps with misleading advertising by illegal providers.

Tackling affiliate marketers and influencers

Intermediaries play a vital role in traffic to illegal sites. Affiliate marketing is closely monitored by the Ksa because affiliates and influencers, as promoters, can be held legally liable. They are guilty of facilitating illegal offerings by placing referrals to sites without a Dutch license. The regulator emphasizes that not only the casino but also the promoter is responsible for complying with the law. This means that influencers risk high fines when they enter into partnerships with illegal operators.

Blockades through payment service providers

Financial blocking is a second pillar of enforcement. The Ksa works intensively with payment service providers, including banks and providers of services such as iDEAL and Trustly, to refuse transactions to illegal providers. By cutting off these cash flows, it becomes harder for foreign sites to pay out winnings or accept deposits. Although some players switch to crypto to bypass these blocks, the traditional banking infrastructure remains an important barrier for most consumers.

Legal position of the player and consumer protection

In Kansspelautoriteit enforcement of foreign sites, the focus is primarily on punishing illegal providers, not the individual player. Although players do not risk direct fines, their right to consumer protection is voided. This means that winnings are not guaranteed and disputes fall outside the Dutch legal system, which entails financial risks.

Is playing on foreign sites punishable?

The Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa) imposes severe sanctions on operators active without a license, but individual Dutch citizens face no criminal risk for participating. The law targets supply, not demand. However, this impunity offers no safety: in cases of fraud or refusal to pay out, the Ksa cannot intervene. Players are on their own, dependent on the integrity of a party that consciously ignores Dutch law.

Risks for vulnerable groups and addiction

Illegal platforms pose an acute danger to vulnerable groups, such as minors and young adults, because age verification and monitoring of gaming behavior are lacking. Without a mandatory duty of care, the risk of gambling addiction increases significantly. Organizations such as the Speel Verantwoord Foundation (Stichting Speel Verantwoord) warn that these sites have no connection to assistance programs, leaving signs of problematic gaming behavior unnoticed. The absence of consumer protection means that players cannot call upon national helplines or intermediaries in case of escalation.

cruks">Lack of connection to CRUKS

A critical shortcoming is the lack of connection to CRUKS (Centraal Register Uitsluiting Kansspelen). For legal providers, registration in CRUKS leads to immediate denial of access on all licensed sites, an essential tool against addiction. Foreign sites ignore this register completely. A player who has self-excluded via the Speel Verantwoord Foundation or CRUKS can therefore continue to play unimpeded on illegal platforms. This gap undermines the effectiveness of self-exclusion and blocks the road to recovery, as gambling addiction is facilitated rather than contained.

Technological blockade and international cooperation

The Kansspelautoriteit's enforcement of foreign sites focuses on a combination of technical ISP blockades, data-driven monitoring, and cross-border cooperation. Because the jurisdiction of the Ksa ends at the national border, these instruments are crucial to reach illegal providers operating from the EU/EEA area or beyond.

Effectiveness of ISP blockades and hosting providers

Internet provider blockades form a first line of defense, but they are not technically foolproof. The Ksa cooperates with internet providers to restrict access to illegal domains, but players often bypass these filters via VPNs or alternative DNS settings. In addition, SIDN (Stichting Internet Domeinregistratie Nederland) plays a role in managing .nl domains. Although many illegal sites use foreign extensions, SIDN can act against the abuse of Dutch domain names. Hosting providers are also increasingly being called upon to take down servers hosting illegal gambling platforms, which is a more effective technical intervention than just a DNS block.

Cooperation with foreign regulators

International alliances are essential because many illegal casinos hide behind licenses from jurisdictions such as Curacao eGaming or the Malta Gaming Authority. Although a license from the Malta Gaming Authority within the EU/EEA framework offers strong consumer protection, this does not grant automatic access to the Dutch market. The Ksa notes that providers with a Curacao eGaming license are often less transparent about ownership structures, which complicates enforcement. By cooperating with foreign regulators, the Ksa tries to exert pressure on these licensing authorities to bind their holders to Dutch rules.

Tax aspects and the Tax Authority

Players must be aware of the role of the Tax Authority. Winnings obtained from legal, licensed providers in the Netherlands are tax-free for the player. With illegal foreign sites, this certainty does not exist. Although the chance is small that the Tax Authority will trace individual small winnings, there is no statutory exemption for winnings from illegal offerings. This creates an extra layer of uncertainty and potential tax liability for the player.

Use of AI and data analysis

To manage the scale of illegal offerings, the Ksa is increasingly deploying Artificial Intelligence for monitoring and detection. Artificial Intelligence helps analyze large datasets to identify patterns in advertisements and network traffic faster than is manually possible. This technology enables the regulator to proactively detect new illegal domains trying to bypass the ISP block before they reach large groups of players.

About this article - Editorial standards

Author: Sarah Weber — Casino Tester & Bonus Analyst • Fact-checked by: Dr. Markus Hoffmann — Senior iGaming Compliance Analyst • Last updated: 2026-08-12.

This article about "Kansspelautoriteit enforcement of foreign sites" is written by Sarah Weber and fact-checked by Dr. Markus Hoffmann. Both regularly update the content following changes in laws and regulations, licenses, and bonus conditions. All references to licenses, regulators, and legislation link to public sources (the local gaming authority, the applicable local gambling law).

About the author

8+ years of experience reviewing casinos, 200+ personally tested platforms within the EU and worldwide. Former member of the eCOGRA Player Advocacy Program (2018-2022). Specialization: wagering requirements, payout processes, and customer service evaluation.

About the reviewer

More than 12 years of experience in the iGaming industry, including 5 years as a compliance consultant for licensees in multiple regulated markets. PhD in economic mathematics. Focus areas: bonus mathematics, wagering analysis, and player protection systems.

Responsible gambling

Gambling can be addictive. If you feel you are losing control of your play, please contact the relevant gambling help line or make use of the national self-exclusion register (the relevant national self-exclusion register). Set personal deposit and loss limits BEFORE you play with real money. Breaks and cooling-off tools from the provider are there to keep gaming manageable.

Legal notice

The information in this article is solely intended for editorial and comparative purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Players themselves are responsible for complying with local regulations.