The Dutch gambling regulatory authority, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has issued a mandatory order to Bet365 operator Hillside for failing to comply with the care duty requirements of the gambling industry. KSA made the decision in November and officially announced the results this week, pointing out that Hillside failed to adequately respond to the risk signals of players potentially unable to afford gambling expenses from December 6, 2024, to June 6, 2025. Dutch regulations specify that when a player's monthly net deposits reach 30% or more of their monthly net income, the licensee must consider it a risk signal and intervene, but Hillside failed to meet this standard. Relevant Dutch gambling care duty compliance cases can be referenced on the PASA official website.
Core Violations: Three Major Issues Touch Regulatory Red Lines
KSA explicitly points out three core violations by Hillside, all revolving around the protection of player payment capabilities:
Ineffective verification method: Only through questionnaires filled out by players themselves to verify payment capabilities, without using "sufficient, accurate, and verifiable" proof documents, resulting in the inability to grasp the true financial conditions of high-risk players;
Exceeding deposit limits: Some players' net deposit limits far exceed the 30% monthly net income benchmark, with the highest even reaching 103.12% and the lowest at 31.82%, completely ignoring payment capability risks;
Unset limit loopholes: From October 2024 to March 2025, at least one player was not set any net deposit limits, leaving regulatory coverage incomplete.
KSA emphasizes that players at risk of problematic gambling or addiction will deliberately avoid behavioral restrictions, "relying solely on player self-reporting is not enough," and must depend on objective proof documents.
Mandatory Order Requirements: 4 Weeks to Rectify and Strengthen Verification Mechanisms
KSA has made clear rectification demands to Hillside, giving a 4-week compliance deadline:
Comprehensively register and analyze player payment capability risk signals, establishing a systematic identification mechanism;
Switch to verifiable proof documents for payment capability verification, replacing the original questionnaire format;
Strictly adhere to the net deposit limit regulations, not exceeding the 30% monthly net income benchmark.
In fact, KSA had already contacted Hillside at the beginning of 2025, clearly informing them that "net deposit limits can only be increased after payment capability verification supported by objective evidence," but Hillside failed to rectify in time.
Confrontation: Hillside's Defense and Regulatory Non-Compromise
Facing penalties, Hillside raised defenses, but KSA did not approve:
Hillside's reasoning: The Dutch gambling legal framework is not clear enough, allowing for multiple interpretations; advocating for "triangular verification" (cross-checking player-provided information with public sources) to meet payment capability verification requirements, without needing additional proof documents;
KSA's response: Directly rejecting this "edge-ball" approach, reiterating "payment capability verification must be based on verifiable proof documents, ensuring sufficiency and accuracy"; the public decision is to protect public interest, enhance transparency, protect players, and warn other licensees to avoid similar mistakes.
Strict Regulation: Hillside's Previous Offenses and Ongoing Industry Rectification
This is not the first time Hillside has faced regulatory penalties in the Netherlands, as KSA has also been intensifying industry rectification efforts recently:
Past violations: In March 2023, Hillside was fined 400,000 euros for improperly targeting young people with gambling advertisements;
Other recent penalties: Unlicensed operator Starscream was fined 4.2 million euros by KSA for illegally providing online gambling services in the Netherlands, having previously received but not complied with a cease operation warning;
Future moves: KSA has committed this week to "strengthen" the crackdown on illegal gambling, planning closer cooperation with licensed operators, other regulatory bodies, and industry stakeholders to build a compliance defense line.
————
This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leaders" gambling industry news channel:https://t.me/pasa_news
Original in-depth gambling channel:https://t.me/gamblingdeep
Free data reports: @pasa_research
PASA Matrix: @pasa002_bot
PASA official website: https://www.pasa.news
