Dutch MPs submit 19 motions during debate on gambling policy ...and more!

Netherlands Gambling Authority hands €1.2m fine to illegal online operator

The Netherlands Gambling Authority has imposed a fine of €1.2m on Techno Offshore Limited for operating online casinos without the necessary license.

Techno Offshore is based in the British Virgin Islands. The operator declined to defend itself against the Dutch regulator's allegations.

In related news, the Netherlands Gambling Authority has issued a warning to Circus Gran Casino for using role models in promoting its land-based offer. The ban on the use of role models in gambling advertising is not limited to online offers, the regulator said.

GB Gambling Commission issues warning over the use of AI to circumvent AML checks

Great Britain's Gambling Commission has issued a warning to licensed gambling operators over the increased use of AI tools to bypass KYC and AML checks.

“The Commission is aware of an increase in the scale and sophistication of attempts to bypass customer due diligence checks using false documentation, deepfake videos and face swaps generated by artificial intelligence,” the regulator said.

Please note that this year's Gaming in Holland Conference will feature a session on the increased role of AI in fraud, as well as the use of AI tools in fraud prevention.

Swedish parliament votes to end land-based casino gambling in the country

The Riksdag, Sweden's parliament, has voted in favor of abolishing land-based casino gaming in the country, with the decision set to lead to the closure of the final, state-owned Casino Cosmopol location in Stockholm.

While Sweden's parliament pointed to declining profitability and visitor numbers at Casino Cosmopol, the country's regulator expressed concerns about how this could impact the prevalence of illegal gambling.

Upcoming events

Gaming in Holland Conference

As always, the Gaming in Holland Conference returns to Amsterdam this summer. The 2025 edition of his event will take place June 5, 2025, at the KIT Royal Tropical Institute.

This year's speakers include Arjan Blok, CEO of Nederlandse Loterij; Renske Fikkers, Head of Market Supervision at the Netherlands Gambling Authority; Justin Franssen, Partner at Franssen Tolboom Advocaten; and Josh Hodgson, COO of H2 Gambling Capital.

With (online) gambling back on the political agenda, there will be plenty to discuss!

Early bird registration is now open. Don't miss it! Register today: https://bit.ly/GiHC2025.

Dutch Online Casino of the Year Awards

Voting for the Dutch Online Casino of the Year Awards opens May 1, 2025.

The award ceremony takes place during the Gaming in Holland networking drinks, part of the program of the annual Gaming in Holland Conference on June 5, 2025.

GiH Conference visitors are all cordially invited to attend the festivities!

Gaming in Spain Conference

Join us on June 26 in Madrid for the 2025 Gaming in Spain Conference.

The event will feature a keynote speech by Mikel Arana, Director General of Spain's national gambling regulator, DGOJ.

Besides focusing on the Spanish market, the 2025 GiS Conference will also feature several sessions dedicated to the latest developments in the most important LatAm markets.

Early bird registration is now open. Don't miss it! Register today: https://bit.ly/GiSC2025.

Other events

• On April 8, the Digital Wellness Center will host a webinar on the use of microbreaks in both player protection and player retention. The webinar will discuss the results of an RG trial conducted in cooperation with Netherlands-facing affiliate Casino.nl.

• SBC Summit Malta, the newly rebranded continuation to CasinoBeats Summit, will take place June 10-12, 2025, at the InterContinental in St Julian’s.

• iGB L!ve returns to ExCel London on July 2-3, 2025. Registration is now open!

Dutch MPs submit 19 motions during debate on gambling policy

Dutch MPs have submitted a total of nineteen motions during Tuesday's Lower House debate on gambling policy.

For the most part, the submitted motions were aspirational rather than specific, i.e., requesting the government's consideration rather than demanding concrete action.

Nonetheless, a few motions stood out.

MP Rosemarijn Dral (VVD) submitted a motion asking the government to institute a task force dedicated to devising new ways to combat illegal online gambling offers. Most importantly, the motion also asked the government to draw up concrete plans and share these with Parliament before October 2025.

MP Peter Smitskam (PVV) submitted a motion asking the government to reconsider its intention to increase the minimum age from 18 to 21 for “high-risk” games of chance.

Although it is highly unlikely that the abovementioned motion will be adopted, another motion submitted by MP Dral (VVD) requests that the government should first investigate whether such a measure would cause young adults to move to illegal alternatives. While far from certain, it is not inconceivable that the latter motion will be supported by a Lower House majority.

Lastly, a motion submitted by Mirjam Bikker (CU) requests that the government create new regulations that would ensure that currently licensed operators can be held liable in civil court for their activities in the Netherlands prior to the legalization of online gambling.

While it is conceivable that this motion will be supported by a Lower House majority, State Secretary Struycken's response to this motion indicated – even apart from the obvious legal hurdles – that the government is not particularly willing to draw up new regulations that are specifically designed to deliver relief to claimants seeking to recover their losses suffered prior to October 2021.

Although no date has yet been set, the Lower House is expected to vote on these motions on April 15.