THE HAGUE, WILLEMSTAD – A company registered in Curaçao has been fined €24.8 million by the Dutch Gambling Authority for illegally offering online gambling to players in the Netherlands.
The penalty was imposed on Novatech Solutions N.V., which according to the Dutch regulator allowed Dutch users to participate in online casino games without the required license under the Dutch Gambling Act.
In a decision published by the Kansspelautoriteit, investigators concluded that Novatech operated at least two gambling websites — qbet.com and 55bet.com — that were accessible from Dutch IP addresses. Authorities said users in the Netherlands were able to register accounts, deposit money and participate in games of chance, including virtual slot machines.
Dutch law prohibits offering gambling services to Dutch residents without a license issued by the national regulator. According to the investigation, the websites did not implement technical measures to block players from the Netherlands.
The regulator also found that the platforms allowed players to win and withdraw money. Terms and conditions on the websites described how winnings would be credited to user accounts and included limits on withdrawals from bonus winnings.
The Dutch authority concluded that these activities constituted a violation of Article 1 of the Dutch Gambling Act, which prohibits offering games of chance without a permit.
Because of the violation, the Kansspelautoriteit imposed an administrative fine of €24,846,000 on Novatech.