Kansspelautoriteit imposes multi-million fine on Vave: but can it actually be collected?
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20 Jun 2026 •
Reading time: 2 minutes
The Dutch Kansspelautoriteit has imposed a fine of over €3 million on gambling operator Vave. Critics are questioning whether such sanctions against foreign casinos are actually effective.
The Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa) has imposed a fine of €3,082,000 on Chestoption Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada for offering online gambling to Dutch players without a licence.
According to the regulator, this took place via, amongst other platforms, the website Vave.com. The company had previously been issued with an order subject to a penalty payment.
The Ksa states that the Costa Rica-based company actively targeted Dutch players. The website featured advertising in Dutch and, according to the regulator, no measures had been taken to block participation from the Netherlands.
In addition, the Ksa cites various circumstances that influenced the amount of the fine. For instance, there was no age verification, and players were able to use autoplay and turboplay functions. Deposits using cryptocurrency were also possible.
Criticism of enforcement outside Europe
The fine itself will come as little surprise to most people. The debate centres mainly on whether the penalty can ever actually be collected.
Chestoption is based in Costa Rica. That country lies outside the European Union and beyond the direct legal jurisdiction of the Dutch regulator.
As a result, there has long been criticism of the imposition of fines running into millions on providers operating outside Europe. In several previous cases, it proved difficult or even impossible to collect such penalties when a foreign party chose not to pay the fine.
Legal experts and market analysts regularly point out that a fine imposed is, legally speaking, not the same as a fine collected.
The Kansspelautoriteit is focusing on other means of pressure
The Kansspelautoriteit recognises that enforcement goes beyond the imposition of financial sanctions.
The regulator therefore works with payment processors, hosting companies, banks and technology platforms to target illegal operators in areas on which they depend.
In recent years, this approach has led to the removal of several websites from the Dutch market, even when the fine itself was not paid immediately.
For the Ksa, the aim remains the same: to prevent Dutch players from ending up with unlicensed operators.
Critics continue to question how much of an impact a fine of over three million euros has on a company on the other side of the world when the actual collection of the fine is uncertain.