The Netherlands’ highest court has upheld the right of the local gambling regulator to impose stiff financial penalties on gambling sites it deems to be operating in the country without permission.

On Wednesday, the Dutch Council of State rejected the appeals of two companies – Co-Gaming Ltd and Mansion Online Casino Ltd/ONISCAC Ltd – that sought to overturn the six-figure fines levied against them a few years ago by the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) regulatory body.

In 2014, Co-Gaming Ltd, currently a subsidiary of Nordic gaming operator Cherry AB but at the time acting under its ComeOn Europe banner, was fined €180k for making nice with Dutch gamblers through the use of a Dutch-language website and chat service, plus liberal use of images of Dutch flags.

The previous year, the KSA hit Mansion/ONISAC with a €150k penalty for offering services in Dutch and allowing punters to transact via popular Dutch payment processor iDeal.