THE HAGUE, WILLEMSTAD – The Dutch Gambling Authority says several aggravating factors increased the severity of the violations committed by Curaçao-based Novatech Solutions N.V., including inactivity charges, crypto payments and what it described as unfair withdrawal conditions.
According to the sanction decision, the regulator found that Novatech used terms and conditions that allowed the company to charge players a monthly inactivity fee of 5 euros starting from the thirteenth month if an account was not used.
The authority said this unfairly penalized players for not gambling and could even encourage continued participation in gambling to avoid the fee. It argued that a gambling operator should instead be able to close dormant accounts and return any remaining balance to the player.
The Dutch regulator also treated the use of cryptocurrency and anonymous payment methods, including Bitcoin and Skrill, as an aggravating factor. According to the authority, such payment channels can create risks related to tax evasion and money laundering.
Another issue cited in the decision was the absence of visible age verification, which the authority said made it impossible to establish whether minors were being kept out of the gambling platforms.
The regulator also objected to several withdrawal-related conditions in Novatech’s terms and conditions. These reportedly included a 10 percent charge, with a minimum of 5 euros, for certain withdrawals, as well as limits on how much players could withdraw per day, week and month. Players who requested more than one withdrawal within 24 hours could also face additional charges.
According to the Dutch authority, these rules meant consumers could not freely access their own funds and were subjected to unreasonable conditions.
The regulator said all of these elements were treated as factors that justified increasing the eventual fine imposed on the Curaçao company.