‘They encouraged my addiction’ – former gambler takes LeoVegas casino to court
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31 Jan 2026 •
Reading time: 2 minutes It started with small wins. Then everything went faster. Gambling a little every day and thinking you’re being smart. Until you lose everything.
Sayone lost tens of thousands of euros to online gambling, even before online casinos became legal in the Netherlands. She played at LeoVegas, among others, which did not have a licence at the time. The casino is now legal. But for Sayone, that came too late. She tells her story on the Dutch TV programme Kassa.
Casino knew about addiction but did not intervene
What happened to her is no exception. Since the legalisation of online gambling in 2021, the number of complaints about gambling addiction and financial damage has increased significantly. But even before that, foreign casinos were able to target British players without a licence. Without supervision, without limits. According to lawyers, that is the crux of the problem.
Sayone describes how she fell into the trap: small wins gave her hope. Hope for quick riches. She thought she would win £200 every day. But soon the losses followed. She kept depositing money. At her lowest point, she could no longer pay her mortgage.
Judge: online casinos must repay losses
Sayone is now a client of Dynamiet Nederland. This firm helps former players to legally challenge their losses. Director Deepak Thakoerdien says that many casinos ignored their duty of care.
‘They saw people continuing to gamble, but did nothing. In fact, they encouraged it. It was the Wild West.’
In previous court cases, Dutch judges have ruled that casinos from that period must repay losses. The condition: you must be able to prove how much you lost.
LeoVegas accused of forgery
Thakoerdien requested transaction data from LeoVegas clients since October 2024. At first, the casino cooperated. Later, his clients suddenly received remarkably low amounts back. By comparing old bank details with previous statements, the firm discovered that this data was often incorrect. That is why Dynamiet is now preparing to report LeoVegas for forgery.
Supervision stops at the border
Lawyer Pepijn le Heux confirms that he often encounters these kinds of obstacles. The Kansspelautoriteit does not have jurisdiction in this matter. The Data Protection Authority does, but it has no power outside the Netherlands. And many of these casinos are based in Malta. This includes LeoVegas, which is not allowed to offer games of chance in Belgium. As a result, help is often hard to find.