KSA issues €350,000 fine to Bingoal for RG failings
Belgium-based operator’s PKI certificate absence proves costly as firm found to have offered betting with no ability to self-exclude for three days
The Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) has handed out a fine of €350,000 (£310,810) to online operator Bingoal for failing to provide Dutch players with the ability to self-exclude from its site for a three-day period.
KSA investigators found that in June last year, Bingoal operated without access to the Dutch self-exclusion register Cruks (Central Register of Exclusions for Games of Chance) following the expiry of its PKI (PKIOverheid) certificate.
Ownership of a valid PKI certificate is a requirement for all Dutch-licensed operators, with the PKI issued directly by the Dutch government.
During this period, the operator continued to allow all customers, some of whom may well have been registered with the service, to access its site.
Bingoal started life in the 1980s as a horseracing betting operator under the guise of the Belgian PMU before expanding to include online casino and sports betting operations across more than 50 national and international sports markets.
The issue arose when the PKI that Bingoal holds with Cruks ran out, yet still accepted new registrations during this period.
The KSA stated that “legal providers of high-risk games of chance must be connected to Cruks” and by allowing its certificate to expire “Bingoal could not check players for registration”.
Cruks launched in October 2021 and in August 2022 announced over 20,000 players had signed up to the self-exclusion register.
Bingoal has a number of sponsorships in its homeland including football team Lommel SK and the basketball side Kangaroos Mechelen.