WILLEMSTAD – The Dutch Gambling Authority (Kansspelautoriteit) has imposed a fine of over €1.2 million on Techno Offshore Limited, the parent company of No Limit Bet and Simple Casino. These gambling operators, which operate under the Curaçao master license 8048/JAZ issued by Antillephone, offered online gambling services to the Dutch market without the required Dutch license. 

According to the Dutch authority, Dutch players were able to easily register on both websites, deposit funds via methods such as iDEAL, and participate in online gambling activities, including digital slot machines. The registration forms automatically filled in "Netherlands" as the country and "+31" as the country code. Customer service also communicated in Dutch through a translation service, and parts of the websites were available in Dutch. 

The Gambling Authority concluded that Techno Offshore knowingly violated Dutch law by targeting the Dutch market without a proper license. Under the Dutch Gambling Act, it is sufficient for Dutch players to have access to participate, even if no actual participation occurs. 

Before issuing the fine, the Dutch authority had issued a so-called "order under penalty of a fine" on July 23, 2024. During inspections in April and June, regulators were able to create accounts and gamble from the Netherlands without issues. A follow-up inspection on June 24 revealed that the situation had not changed. Techno Offshore was given four weeks to halt the violations, or face a penalty of €280,000 per week, up to a maximum of €840,000. Techno Offshore did not respond to the fine proposal. 

The final fine was set at €1.2 million, based on a base amount of €600,000, which was doubled due to aggravating factors. These included offering games that are not allowed, using prohibited payment methods like cryptocurrency, lacking age verification for participation, absence of betting limits, and charging inactivity fees. Additionally, features like autoplay and turbo play were available, which are also prohibited. 

It remains unclear whether Techno Offshore will pay the fine. According to the website, Simple Casino is now operated by another Curaçao-based gambling company, Deep Dive Tech B.V., while No Limit Bet is still under the ownership of Techno Offshore Limited. Both websites continue to allow Dutch players to access their platforms. 

The operator has six weeks to appeal the fine.