A growing number of Dutch websites promoting online casinos are choosing to affiliate with illegal parties. The switch is often motivated by financial motives. On average, legal providers pay several tens of euros per new player. In the illegal market, those amounts run into thousands of euros.
The problem was discussed at the Gaming in Holland 2025 conference. There, it was confirmed that affiliates targeting illegal providers can earn up to €2,500 per player introduced.
‘That huge difference puts pressure on the market,’ says Steven Vrolijk of the KVA.
Entrepreneurs take risks that are difficult to reverse
The switch seems attractive, but the consequences are huge. Those who make the switch not only leave the legal circuit behind, but also lose the protection that comes with it. Illegal providers fall outside supervision, do not follow rules, and do not offer help to players with addiction problems.
Affiliates who make this choice take legal and business risks. Those risks can also cause reputational damage. It is not a temporary move, but one that often proves irreversible.
The law gives little room for ignorance
Affiliate entrepreneurs can hardly claim ignorance. The Remote Gaming Act is clear: only parties with a licence from the Kansspelautoriteit may be promoted. Anyone operating in this market should know that.
There is also a responsibility when selling a well-run affiliate website. Entrepreneurs are supposed to research the buyer of their site. Especially when the domain gets a lot of traffic through search terms around games of chance.
Sale often still leads to illegal promotion
In practice, it often happens that a site is sold on to another party immediately after the sale. As a result, previous agreements disappear. The site continues to run under the same name, but suddenly refers to illegal providers.
This is a well-known pattern within the industry. As a result, the original seller also comes into the picture of supervisors. These may still consider the sale as a contribution to illegal promotion.
Kansspelautoriteit also investigates former owners
The Kansspelautoriteit does not limit its investigation to the new owner only. The former owner may also be investigated, especially if the site was previously operating legally. The company and the entrepreneur can be included in Bibob tests.
In case of a negative outcome of such a test, applying for a licence may become impossible. Other business agreements, for example with banks or hosting companies, are also at risk.
Criminal consequences not ruled out
The risks go beyond supervision. In some cases, criminal prosecutions are also imminent. Think of money laundering, participation in a criminal organisation or deliberately violating the gambling law.
Even the application for a Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG) can be affected by these choices. Foreign companies are also investigated in such cases. The authorities then look at structures and ultimate stakeholders.
Politics and legislation make illegal supply increasingly difficult
The Dutch government wants to reduce the illegal supply of online gambling. This has been stated several times in recent debates. New legislation is in the pipeline. There will be stricter sanctions, more international cooperation and extra supervision of digital intermediaries.
For affiliates who now cross the border, the room for manoeuvre is narrowing. They face additional risks of blockades and penalties. The industry is under pressure, and mistakes are less likely to be forgiven.