Winning Poker Network fined by KSA for unlicensed gaming

[Wolf32]

The Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has fined Winning Poker Network (WPN) €1,275,000 for allowing Dutch players to access its services without the required permit.

Dutch players were able to gamble illegally on WPN’s site, americascardroom.eu. After informing WPN of its intent to impose a penalty payment order, the KSA ensured the site was no longer accessible to Dutch players. However, another WPN-operated site, truepoker.eu, remained available, prompting the KSA to enforce the penalty payment order and demand that WPN cease offering its services across all its websites in the Netherlands.

Michel Groothuizen, the KSA Chair, mentioned:

A penalty payment order is an effective way to quickly take illegal supply off the air. However, these types of parties should not think that they will get off easy with this, so we also impose fines for the violation committed. In doing so, we hit them where it really hurts, namely in their wallets.

The KSA can impose sanctions alongside penalty payments for the duration of illegal operations, as seen in this case. The fine was increased due to aggravating factors, including WPN charging inactivity fees to players and misleading consumers by displaying a foreign license to appear legitimate. The KSA views such consumer fraud as a serious offense.