The Dutch Gaming Authority (KSA) recently issued a formal warning to licensed operator TonyBet for offering betting options involving the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball winner, violating local gambling regulations.
According to the Dutch Gambling Act, sports betting is limited to events recognized by national or international sports organizations, and the betting subject must be based on objective, verifiable performance results on the field. The Ballon d'Or, being an award decided by a jury or voting, does not directly stem from match results, and thus does not fall within the legal betting scope.
After receiving notification from the regulatory authorities, TonyBet stated that upon review, no actual betting had occurred on the relevant options and promised to thoroughly review its sports betting products, enhance monitoring, and prevent similar situations from recurring.
This case highlights KSA's ongoing regulatory efforts in the gambling market. The agency reminds all licensees to strictly limit betting to officially recognized events and to take immediate action upon discovering any unauthorized bets.
In fact, KSA has recently taken multiple actions to regulate the market. Last month, Zebet and Starcasino were warned due to player withdrawal issues, fortunately, both platforms made corrections and avoided further penalties. Earlier this year, Optdeck received dual warnings for non-compliant advertising and autoplay features; and in February, TonyBet was specifically mentioned for not providing 24/7 Dutch language phone customer service. This series of enforcement actions shows that the Dutch regulatory body has a "zero tolerance" policy regarding compliance details.
