The Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) recently issued formal warnings to licensed operators ZEbet and Starcasino for using improper terms to restrict player withdrawals, violating relevant regulatory provisions.
The incident originated from a player complaint stating that ZEbet refused a withdrawal even though no bonuses were used. According to Dutch regulations, operators can set withdrawal restrictions on bonus funds, but such conditions must not apply to players' own funds. KSA immediately launched an investigation and found issues with ZEbet's system settings. The operator responded that it was a "technical malfunction," subsequently processed a refund for the player, and took immediate measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring. As a result, KSA decided to issue a warning to ZEbet instead of imposing stricter penalties.
However, this was not the only regulatory pressure ZEbet faced recently. Its parent company ZEturf's sports betting brand ZEbetting just received another warning the previous day for accepting illegal tennis betting markets.
After handling the ZEbet case, KSA further reviewed the terms of other operators and found that Starcasino's general terms in betting and withdrawal were improperly phrased, potentially causing misunderstandings. KSA emphasized that operators must not require players to reach a minimum betting amount to withdraw, unless it involves anti-money laundering or fraud review.
Starcasino stated that it always ensures smooth withdrawals in actual operations and has updated its terms to eliminate ambiguities. Additionally, Starcasino recently joined the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) to enhance its reputation and compliance image in the Dutch market.
