Illegal gambling? Serpent exposes Flip a Coin

On Thursday 27 June, Dutch YouTuber Rick ‘Serpent’ Broers published a shocking video exposing the dangerous nature of the Flip a Coin application. Presented by its developers as a simple skill game, Serpent reveals that it actually conceals a gambling system with potentially serious consequences.

A mechanic disguised as a game of dexterity

According to the official page, ‘Flip a Coin’ is a ‘real-money skill game’. Each participant bets a sum of money and has to click three coins as quickly as possible. The winner receives €180 if everyone had put in €100, while €20 represents the fees charged by the operator. But Serpent claims that the game does not involve a human opponent: a bot controls the games.

Mees Dix, a well-known Dutch social media influencer with over 285,000 followers on TikTok and 227,000 on Instagram, plays a central role in promoting the Flip a Coin app. By promoting the app to its young audience, Mees Dix is contributing to its visibility and appeal, despite the grey areas surrounding its actual operation and suspicions of fraudulent practices.

‘Update: the application is still online AND is being actively promoted by Mees.’ – Serpent

A rigged duel 

In his video, Serpent demonstrates that he systematically faces profiles with the same images but different pseudonyms, a sign that the opponent is a bot. The bot is said to have calibrated reaction times, often too fast for real players to win.

Impossible withdrawals

To prove his point, Serpent worked with a programmer who modified the application, enabling him to win every game. He accumulated over €1,000, but was never able to withdraw the funds, a problem confirmed by several users. Contacted via influencer Mees Dix, the app operator denies using bots. It does, however, say that it intends to involve its developers in India.

Bots disappear… and so do games

At the end of the video, Serpent notes that the bots are now absent, but that this is blocking games: it is impossible to find an opponent, human or automated. Is this withdrawal a tacit admission?

A much-discussed promotion

The Flip a Coin application is not available via the official shops (Play Store or App Store), but can only be downloaded from an independent site that is now inactive. Promoted by Mees Dix, who claims to have legal documents attesting to its legality in the Netherlands, the app is aimed primarily at a young audience. Serpent is concerned: the line between skill gambling and illegal betting is said to be blurred, and the most serious effect is perhaps the exposure of a vulnerable audience.

‘Update 2: It’s even worse than we thought. You can easily access details of ALL accounts, bank account numbers, phone numbers and you can even easily log into other people’s accounts (and potentially withdraw money from your own account). I have repeatedly asked the owner to simply take the app offline temporarily, but he always refuses to do so.’ – Serpent

Appeal to the Ksa

Serpent is appealing to the Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa), the Dutch gambling authority, to demand strict control of the app. It is particularly critical of

1. The use of real money in a non-transparent game.
2. The element of chance introduced by the bots.
3. The risk of cheating and the lack of secure withdrawals.

CasinoNieuws.nl contacted the Ksa, but did not receive an immediate response.

‘Update 3: The application has been temporarily taken offline to allow all issues to be resolved.’ – Serpent

A broader commitment against gambling

In parallel with this case, Serpent is campaigning against the Postcode Loterij. In March, it launched a citizens’ initiative aimed at banning the drawing of postcodes in the form of lotteries, with over 30,000 signatures already collected out of the 40,000 targeted.