Bet365 Faces €400,000 in Netherlands for Adverts Rules Breach
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:bet365 operator Hillside New Media Malta has been fined €400,000 ($428,723) by the Dutch gambling regulator de Kansspelautoriteit for infringing on its gambling advertising rules.
In January 2022, KSA received information that bet365 had sent several emails about specific bonuses to an 18-year-old individual. This prompted the regulator to launch an investigation into the allegation between 26 October 2021 and 1 February 2022.
Through its investigation, the regulator found that bet365 had sent similar emails to several players within this age range. This breached article 2, paragraph 4 of the Dutch Gambling Act, which prohibits licensed operators from advertising their services to players within the young adult age group (18-24).
In its response to the charge, bet365 maintained that KSA misinterpreted the section of the Act, which only bans adverts specifically targeted at young adults. The operator followed up its response with an appeal which the KSA has since rejected.
bet365 would have to pay the €400,000 fine to continue offering its betting services in the Netherlands. The regulator initially agreed on €350,000 but later increased it to €400,000 after realizing the breach happened over several months.
According to the KSA, “Vulnerable groups, such as young adults, must be given extra protection. The brains of young people are still developing. As a result, they are extra vulnerable to developing a gambling addiction. Gaming providers must fully respect the rules intended to protect vulnerable groups. That did not happen here, and therefore we issued this fine.”
Related: Gamix hit with severe fines from KSA.
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