Dutch regulator slaps €600k penalty on Curacao betting site

Netherlands gambling regulators have imposed a €600k penalty on a Curacao-licensed online gambling site for serving Dutch punters without local permission. 

On Friday, the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) gambling regulatory body announced a €500k penalty on Virtual Coin Gaming NV, the Curacao-based firm behind the Futgalaxy.nl and nl.futgamer.com gambling sites. An unidentified individual connected with the sites was personally penalized an additional €100k. 

The sites offered games of chance linked to EA Sports’ FIFA video games, which are illegal under a Dutch law approved in 2019. The sites also offered betting markets on real world sports and eSports events using the FUT Coin virtual currency.

The KSA noted that the penalty was higher than the usual low-six-figure for “several reasons,” including the fact that the regulator had determined that “minors, or at least young adults,” were among the site’s customers.