William Hill receives €300,000 fine from Dutch regulators
Operator fined under prioritisation criteria for operating without a licence
William Hill has been ordered to pay a €300,000 fine after a Dutch gambling authority (KSA) investigation revealed the operator was offering online gambling to Dutch players without a licence.
During its investigation, the KSA found that williamhill.com was accessible to players in the Netherlands, directly violating the so-called Dutch prioritisation criteria.
Under the criteria, operators can be fined by the KSA if they have a website which features Dutch language, has a .nl extension or uses Dutch in its advertising.
In addition, gambling websites which use typical Dutch terms or symbols (including windmills, clogs and tulips) or use the “usual” method of payment in the Netherlands can also be investigated.
The regulator found that Hills provided Dutch-facing customer service to players and payments could be made via IDEAL, an online bank accessible to Dutch players. In addition, KSA investigators discovered two William Hill gambling apps were accessible to Dutch players.
A spokesperson for William Hill confirmed to EGR that it will appeal the fine.
Responding to the fine, Rene Jansen, chief executive of the KSA said: “A player who gambles with an illegal provider does so unprotected, there is no supervision possible on a fair course of business. That is why the KSA acts against illegal providers.”
The long-delayed Dutch Remote Gaming Bill, which has still to enter law, includes the so-called Bouwmeester motion, which states that “providers sanctioned at the opening of the market for remote games of chance are in no way eligible for a permit.”
However, in a softening of the language, Dutch minister of justice and security Sander Dekker recently indicated that operators would be able to re-apply for a licence to operate after an undisclosed cooling off period.
Betsson and Mr Green have also been fined by the KSA.