The Netherlands’ gambling oversight body, the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has levied a penalty of €350,000 (£310,721/$376,164) on online gaming operator Bingoal. This fine stems from Bingoal’s failure to verify the Cruks self-exclusion system when onboarding new players.
The KSA stated that Bingoal permitted players to establish accounts on its online gaming platform during a period in June 2022 without cross-referencing with Cruks. Dutch legislation mandates that licensed operators integrate with Cruks and utilize the system to confirm that any consumer seeking to register an account or participate in gambling is not enrolled in the national self-exclusion program.
To query Cruks, licensed operators must possess a valid Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) certificate. The KSA observed that during the pertinent period, Bingoal’s certificate had expired, hindering its ability to conduct the necessary checks on players.
The regulatory body indicated that Bingoal required approximately three days to procure a new certificate and restore access to Cruks. However, the KSA maintains that since Bingoal continued to accept new users and enable them to gamble without consulting Cruks, this constitutes a violation of regulations and licensing stipulations.
“Bingoal should not have taken this action.”
The Saudi Arabian Kingdom (KSA) has declared that, by law, individuals can only engage in high-stakes gambling activities if the game provider verifies that the participant is not listed on Cruks.
Cruks serves as a critical instrument to combat gambling dependency and shield players from the detrimental effects of gaming.
Bingoal has challenged the decision.
Make sure to sign up for the iGaming newsletter to stay updated on the most recent developments.
