Qbet and 55Bet receive mega fine from the Gaming Authority
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2 Dec 2024 •
Reading time: 2 minutes The Dutch Gaming Authority (Ksa) has tackled the illegal online casino Qbet and the associated website 55Bet. The parent company Novatech Solutions was given a penalty payment of up to €840,000. The reason? Both gambling sites were accessible to Dutch players and did not take any measures to keep them out, despite the lack of the necessary permit.
The Ksa determined that Qbet actively served the Dutch market. This was evident from the number of searches for the site. According to the Responsible Affiliates Quality Mark, Qbet was searched for more than 41,000 times a month from the Netherlands.
Investigation exposes violations
The Gaming Authority’s investigation began on June 10, 2024. Using a Dutch IP address, the regulator created an account on Qbet and deposited money via Bitcoin Cash. To prove that gambling from the Netherlands was possible, a few spins were made on the slot machine The Dog House.
Later, in September 2024, the Ksa conducted a similar investigation at 55Bet. Here too, they were able to create an account and deposit money without any problems, this time via Skrill. Then bets were placed on the slot machine Dog Masons Megawoof. Both investigations confirmed that Novatech Solutions did not comply with the rules.
Deadline for compliance ignored
After these findings, the Gaming Authority gave Novatech Solutions the opportunity to submit a point of view. However, the company failed to do so. Subsequently, a penalty payment order was imposed on October 30, 2024. The sites were given four weeks to stop the violations, with a fine of €280,000 per week if this did not happen. The maximum amount has been set at €840,000.
The deadline expired on November 27, 2024. At the time of writing, Novatech Solutions has not taken any measures to ban Dutch players. The websites of Qbet and 55Bet remain accessible from the Netherlands.
Gaming Authority announces further steps
Michel Groothuizen, chairman of the Gaming Authority, indicated that this is just the beginning. In a statement, he emphasized that illegal providers often operate in a sophisticated manner, but that the Ksa does not shy away from stricter measures.
“Illegal providers often think they are smart by constantly changing platforms, but we keep a close eye on them. A penalty payment order is intended to force them to stop quickly, but if that does not happen, heavy fines will follow. In this way, we ensure that these types of parties do not get a chance to circumvent the rules.”