Kansspelautoriteit has released fresh details of its work covering the first half of 2023 in the Netherlands, including regulatory action involving bitcoin and social media.
The Dutch regulator has reported that it has added cryptocurrency to its list of payment methods for use in investigations. And after probes into six offerings, the KSA found all six instances showed unlawful activity, with sanctions imposed and the products discontinued.
On social media, Kansspelautoriteit conducted 32 investigations on social media into illegal offers on Instagram and Facebook.
“Established or suspected violations were reported to parent company Meta, after which the relevant pages and accounts were immediately closed,” the authority said.
The regulator added that “various fine reports are currently being prepared” after it imposed eight sanctions on illegal providers to the tune of almost €30m at the end of 2022, details of which were made public earlier this year.
And the KSA says it will take enforcement action against four providers which it says are illegally advertising unlicensed websites, targeting vulnerable customers and telling them how to navigate past the Cruks self-exclusion register.
An investigation into further such potential offences is in progress, with eight websites under the spotlight in total, the regulator said.
The KSA has also taken action in the land-based sector so far in 2023, with enforcers providing support to municipal and police teams in 42 cases, it said.
