Dutch regulator fines Casino Zoetermeer for failing to check self-exclusion register

The Netherlands Gambling Authority (Kansspelautoriteit, KSA) has publicly revealed a fine imposed on Casino Zoetermeer after the operator admitted players who were listed on the national self-exclusion database, Cruks. The penalty, initially set at €25,000 and later reduced to €21,500 due to procedural delays, stems from a 2022 investigation. Casino Zoetermeer had previously secured a temporary block on the disclosure of the sanction by lodging a legal objection, but a judge recently dismissed the appeal, clearing the way for the KSA to publish the enforcement details.

The KSA stated that in 2022 it received complaints from two individuals alleging that the casino was not properly verifying patrons against Cruks. An investigation confirmed that the operator had allowed two players registered on the self-exclusion list to enter and gamble at its three land-based venues in Zoetermeer. The regulator emphasized that accurate Cruks checks are critical for protecting vulnerable players, saying: "Players who self-exclude from gambling do so to protect themselves and must be able to assume that, as a result, they cannot gamble at licensed providers."

Cruks was launched in the Netherlands in October 2021 alongside the regulated online gambling market and was later extended to cover land-based gambling. All licensed operators of online and high-risk physical gambling are required to consult the register before granting access. Currently, approximately 118,000 people are enrolled in Cruks, according to the KSA.

Separately, the KSA has also reprimanded TonyBet for using professional footballers' likenesses in World Cup gambling advertisements, even though the athletes themselves did not appear in the ads. The regulator noted that the Dutch ban on employing role models to promote gambling extends to recognisable references to footballers.