EGBA members contributed €3.8 billion in tax to European economy

Netherlands Gambling Authority imposes penalty payment orders on CasinoScout owners

The Netherlands Gambling Authority has imposed conditional penalty payment orders on three companies for promoting illegal online casinos via the CasinoScout website. All three co-owners of the affiliate website now face a potential penalty of up to €225,000.

Previously, CasinoScout only promoted licensed websites in the Netherlands. However, after an ownership change in January 2025, the website switched to promoting illegal gambling operators.

In related news, the Netherlands Gambling Authority announced a campaign to stop illegal gambling advertising in (online) magazines and newspapers. According to the regulator, marketing agencies that facilitate the placement of such ads will be reported to other regulatory bodies such as the Authority for Consumers and Markets.

Furthermore, the Dutch regulator also warned licensed operators ZEbetting and Betca for offering unlicensed bets. In violation of Dutch anti-match fixing regulations, bettors were able to bet on the outcome of individual sets in tennis matches.

Following the regulator's warning, both ZEbetting and Betca ended the violation and took measures to prevent recurrence.

Dutch gov't will not take direct action against operators involved in player claims suits

In response to parliamentary questions, State Secretary for Legal Protection, Teun Struycken reiterated his earlier stated position that the Dutch government will not take a more active role in player claim cases.

MPs have repeatedly asked the government to pressure operators that were active prior to the opening of the regulated online gambling market to share past transaction data with claimants seeking to recoup their losses.

According to Struycken, the government should have no direct involvement in such disputes:

“The basic principle is that the State does not intervene in disputes concerning civil legal relationships between (illegal) gambling operators and players. Adjudication of disputes concerning the civil legal relationship between such parties is reserved for the courts.”

Registration for the 2025 Gaming in Germany Conference now open!

The 2025 Gaming in Germany Conference will take place November 11, 2025, at the DoubleTree Hilton Ku'damm in Berlin.

This year's event will cover topics such as the latest regulatory developments (including the upcoming review of the 2021 State Gambling Treaty), IP blocking, black market growth, player protection, marketing, compliance, and much more.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Dr. Jörg Hofmann, Senior Partner, Melchers Law

• Senior GGL representative

• Senior ZEAL representative

• Mathias Dahms, President, DSWV

• Dr. Dirk Quermann, President, DOCV

• Christian Heins, Director iGaming, Tipico

• Birgitte Sand, CEO, Birgitte Sand & Associates

• Josh Hodgson, COO, H2 Gambling Capital

Registration is now open!

EGBA members contributed €3.8 billion in tax to European economy

Members of the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) contributed €3.8 billion in tax to the European economy in 2024, according to the trade association's latest sustainability report.

EGBA said its eight operator members (Flutter Entertainment, Entain, Bet365, Betsson Group, Evoke, LeoVegas, Superbet Group and FDJ United) also paid €148.9 million in contributions to research, education and treatment services to support gambling harm prevention in Europe. 

In a joint letter, the CEOs of the operators represented by EGBA also warned of the growing challenge posed by the black market, singling out recent developments in the Netherlands:

“[U]ntaxed black market operators, based outside Europe, are thriving across the continent. These operators target vulnerable players with unlimited access and significant bonuses, offer no customer protections or support for struggling players, and don’t contribute to public finances or European sports. They operate entirely beyond regulatory oversight, avoiding all costs and obligations, and face few repercussions.

And their appeal only grows when well-intentioned regulation becomes too                       restrictive. In the Netherlands, new spending caps introduced in 2024 prompted a        surge in black market activity. Within just months, unregulated sites were matching the revenue of the country’s regulated market.”

In response to these developments in the Netherlands and other countries, the CEOs urgently call on policymakers to prioritize regulation “that is evidence-based and behaviorally informed to channel players toward the safer, regulated environment – not away from it.”