The Netherlands Gaming Authority (KSA) has hit Red Ridge Marketing with a €675,000 fine for advertising unlicensed online gambling services.
The fine was imposed after the affiliate failed to stop advertising unlicensed sites despite being subject to an enforcement order amid the threat of periodic penalty payments.
According to the KSA, various Red Ridge portfolio websites contained “careless and misleading” statements about online casino operators without a Dutch licence.Some of the offending material explained how to circumvent the national self-exclusion register and sought to highlight the “advantages” of using offshore casinos for young people.
Red Ridge – a performance marketing company based in Albania – has not yet responded to the KSA’s fine or cease and desist order.
KSA chairman René Jansen warned that marketing promoters of “illegal” games would receive the same attention from the regulator as the operators that provide them.
“They must also comply with the law, especially when it comes to protecting young adults,” said Jansen. “We will do everything we can to stop these practices.”Since 1 April 2021, the KSA has been able to impose binding restrictions on companies that promote or supply online gambling outside of the country’s regulated market.
For example, the KSA can instruct internet service providers (ISPs) to make offending websites inaccessible to Dutch consumers.
“The KSA will not hesitate to use this tool to stop the ongoing violation,” it added.
The Dutch regulator has taken regular action against the entire unlicensed gambling sector in 2023, imposing fines in excess of €30m on operators to date.
