Dutch regulator dishes out €1.05m fine to unlicensed operator Alimaniere
Costa Rica-based firm found to have been illegally operating two sites in the Netherlands, as well as having “unreasonable conditions” in place for customers
The Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) has imposed a €1.05m fine against Alimaniere Sociedad De Responsabilidad Limitada for operating in the market without a licence.
Alimaniere Sociedad De Responsabilidad Limitada was determined to be the parent company behind time2spin.com, which eventually blocked players from the Netherlands, before the operator relaunched under the time2spin1.com banner.
In February and April 2023, the KSA was able to access time2spin.com, deposit and place bets despite the firm being unlicensed.
In November 2023, the regulator carried out another investigation but found it was no longer able to access time2spin.com from the Netherlands.
However, in January 2024, investigators from the KSA were able to access time2spin1.com and ruled the site was also owned by Alimaniere.
The Costa Rica-based operator said it was licensed in Curaçao in footers found on both time2spin sites, while the platforms had Dutch language and payment options.
In October 2024, the KSA asked Alimaniere for an oral or written response to its findings. According to the KSA, the operator did not reply to its questions.
The KSA’s €1.05m fine was higher than the standard €600,000 penalty after the body determined Alimaniere’s length of violation and actions required a stronger punishment.
The regulator found the operator reserved the right to refuse withdrawals until a player has wagered all the money in their account at least three times.
Various additional shortcomings, including inactivity fines and autoplay features, meant the KSA added a further €450,000 to the fine total.
Michel Groothuizen, KSA chair, said: “The Netherlands has a legal market to ensure that people who want to gamble can do so safely.
“With illegal providers, we often see that no account is taken of the prevention of risky gaming behaviour.
“For example, there was a lack of age verification, which allowed minors to play and inactivity costs were charged when someone did not use their account for a while. We therefore take tough action against these types of parties.”
Earlier this year, the KSA revealed its new fine policy for licensed operators in the market, with the regulator claiming the framework will provide further “clarity”.