The Rotterdam District Court has ordered Betsson's subsidiaries BML Group and Corona Limited to reimburse a customer who lost money on unregulated websites operated by these two companies, amounting to 385,378 euros ($436,236).
The plaintiff, from Schiedam, had gambled on platforms such as Betsson and Kroon Casino under BML before the regulation of online casinos in the Netherlands in 2014. Therefore, the defendants BML Group and Corona Limited must repay the lost funds and 5,751 euros in legal costs, which must be paid within 14 days to avoid statutory interest.
The judgment is effective immediately. Failure to execute the judgment will lead to the court delivering the judgment document, with an additional cost of 92 euros.
In fact, online gambling was not regulated until 2021. This year, the Netherlands issued 10 online gambling licenses, and Betsson chose to stop accepting Dutch customers on its international sites in October of the same year. Nevertheless, the operator did not hold a Dutch gambling license but acquired Holland Gaming Technology in February 2024 to re-enter the market.
Despite cases related to online gambling occurring over a decade ago, illegal gambling has been a persistent issue in the Netherlands. According to the 2024 fiscal year report by the Dutch regulatory authority Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), although the total revenue of the Dutch gambling industry reached 1.47 billion euros (approximately $1.67 billion), marking a 6% increase, 50% of the country's total gambling expenditure went to illegal gambling organizations.
Good news: Earlier this month, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia imposed a fine of 1.2 million euros on Techno Offshore for operating an illegal casino.
Despite measures taken by regulatory authorities to protect players, the situation remains as outlined in another report.
By 2025, the regulatory authority will prioritize addiction prevention work through a dedicated team.
