【stake fortune cookie】-KSA fines Techno Offshore €1.2m for operating without a licence

Techno Offshore, based in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, was found to have breached Dutch betting and gambling regulations by allowing access to casino games and sports betting without a local licence.

According to the KSA, the sites claim to be licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, but this does not authorise them to operate in the Dutch market.

KSA findings

Investigations conducted by KSA officials in April and June 2024 revealed that the websites failed to implement any meaningful geo-blocking or other technical measures to prevent Dutch players from accessing the platforms.

Users were able to register using Dutch addresses and phone numbers with the country code +31, while also making deposits using Dutch bank accounts.

Moreover, the KSA highlighted that although customer service initially was in English, the conversation later switched to the Dutch language.

Additionally, promotional materials and payment instructions were partly presented in Dutch.

According to the KSA, the sites also offered autoplay and turboplay features — both said to encourage excessive gambling behaviour — and lacked proper age verification systems at registration.

“We take tough action”

“Licensed providers in the Netherlands must adhere to strict rules to protect players from gambling addiction,” said KSA chair Michel Groothuizen.

“With illegal providers, we often see that no account is taken of the prevention of risky gaming behaviour, for example by not using age verification, enabling payments with crypto, or a lack of gaming limits.

“We take tough action against these types of parties, because they attract players to illegal offerings and players are insufficiently protected there,” he added.

In July 2024, the KSA issued a cease-and-desist order to the operator. At the beginning of this year, the KSA informed Techno Offshore of its findings.

Techno Offshore was given the opportunity to respond, but failed to provide a written or oral defence.

The operator now has six weeks to file an objection to the fine.