Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch gambling regulator, has issued a cease-and-desist order against one of the biggest offshore operators. The company in question is LCS Limited, which offers its gambling products in the Netherlands despite lacking the license to do so.
LCS Limited Must Immediately Leave
The KSA warned the Malta-based iGaming operator that it must immediately cease all of its operations and withdraw from the Netherlands. According to the authority, LCS Limited and its brands have breached the country’s regulations concerning legalized gaming and must pull back immediately, lest they face consequences.
Kansspelautoriteit’s job is to strictly impose the Dutch KOA Act and ensure a healthy gaming ecosystem for its citizens. To that end, the KSA must punish all operators that breach its rules on safe and legal gaming. LCS Limited could, therefore, receive multiple penalties if it fails to take down its offerings and leave the Netherlands.
The Operator Risks Fines if It Doesn’t Comply
The KSA addressed the matter in an official statement and emphasized that LCS Limited offers iGaming to customers in the Netherlands through one or more websites. As a result, the regulator’s board issued the aforementioned order, effectively asking LCS Limited to stop offering games of chance without a license. The KSA reminded the operator that refusal to comply may lead to weekly fines.
According to the authority, the operator risks a fine of $54,600 a week if it doesn’t immediately cease its unlicensed operations. The maximum cap of this penalty is $163,770 if LCS Limited does not leave for over three weeks. LCS Limited may also try to appeal the KSA’s cease-and-desist order.
The KSA justified its decision to bar offshore operators with the fact that it is unable to monitor their activity and ensure that the games they offer are fair. Moreover, the regulator is unable to force social responsibility on the black market, which is why unlicensed games may be much more addictive and harmful. LCS Limited is known to operate several gaming websites, including Lapilanders, Sons of Slots, Sven Plays and Wallace Bet. None of these sites has been officially recognized in the Netherlands.
KSA Hopes to Create a Healthy Gaming Market
The KSA has been hard at work at curbing the black market and channeling customers toward the legal alternative. The authority hopes to one day completely eliminate unlicensed gaming from the Netherlands and ensure a healthy and safe market for gamblers in the country.
Two months ago, Kansspelautoriteit announced new investigation into online lotteries. The regulator wanted to check whether certain companies surreptitiously try to pass online gaming as lotteries.