The Kansspelautoriteit takes a stand against illegal apps
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9 Apr 2025 •
Reading time: 2 minutes A more intensive effort is needed to take down illegal apps. The Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa) is fully committed to eliminating illegal gambling.
Action is urgently required, as the number of illegal apps is growing rapidly and users are increasingly being redirected to illegal websites.
Already 20 illegal apps removed
Since the beginning of this year, 20 illegal gambling apps have already been removed from the app stores, and the Ksa continues to encourage users to report suspicious apps through a special form on their website, so that these illegal practices can be brought to an end.
Anyone who encounters suspicious websites can file a report including the name of the app being advertised.
Illegal providers use deceptive methods to deceive consumers
Illegal operators do not hesitate to exploit the names and logos of legitimate casinos to mislead users. Recently, an app was discovered unlawfully using the logo of Holland Casino.
Taking advantage of popular games such as Candy Crush and Wordfeud is very common. Various versions of Plinko are also often used to mislead victims. However, once the app in question is downloaded, users will be redirected to illegal gambling websites.
These illegal apps are also shamelessly promoted through social media. Minors are increasingly becoming targeted because these suspicious websites simply allow underage players, even though gambling is prohibited for them.
Reporting Illegal apps leads to change
The Ksa has provided a special form to report illegal apps. You can make a report by clicking the “Play Now” button in the relevant advertisement and mentioning the exact name of the app. The chance the app will be successfully removed is very high, as there is cooperation with the largest app stores to ensure that illegal apps can be removed from those platforms.
To address this issue, legal casinos are also calling for an effective approach to prevent these deceptive practices from spreading. Therefore, they have launched the initiative “Meld vals spel”, their platform where you can report illegal operators.
All reports from this platform are also investigated by the Ksa, enabling illegal apps to be effectively removed.