1xBet fined €400,000 by Dutch regulators
First two companies fined under new prioritisation criteria
The operators of sports betting website 1xbet, Exinvest Limited and 1X Corp NV, have been fined €400,000 by the Dutch Gambling Authority (KSA) for offering egaming to Dutch players without a licence.
Exinvest, which is based in Cyprus and 1X Corp NV, which operates with a Curaçao licence, were fined under the prioritisation criteria, which allows non-Dutch gambling operators to be investigated by the KSA if they are shown to meet three specific criteria.
The criteria includes the usage of the Dutch language, operating under a .nl. domain name and utilising Dutch symbols such as tulips and windmills in an operator site.
A fourth criteria, which allows investigators to target any site using the iDEAL payment method was added earlier this month by Dutch regulators just before the parliamentary vote to legalise egaming.
In its investigation, the KSA found the two companies operated 83 Dutch gambling websites, which could be accessed with the same player account. These websites were found to be using the Dutch language and utilised the iDEAL payment method, making them subject to investigation.
Several operators have refused to pay Dutch fines in the past.
Earlier this month, the Dutch government voted to legalise egaming, passing the Remote Gambling Bill into law.
During the debate, Dutch Minister of Justice Sander Dekker confirmed that previously sanctioned operators would be subject to a two-year cooling off period, in which they are prohibited from applying for licences under the new regulatory regime. As a fined operator, 1xbet would be subject to these new standards.
Ahead of the introduction of the new licensing system, the KSA has asked operators to submit forms confirming their interest in obtaining a Dutch licence. These forms do not oblige operators to apply for a licence, however operators submitting a form will be consulted about the licensing regulations being considered.
The KSA has said it expects the license application fee to be €40,000 but the final fee has still to be confirmed.