The Netherlands Gambling Authority has issued its largest fine yet: €37 million, levied on EOD Code SRL for running a dozen unlicensed online gambling sites that accepted Dutch players.
KSA unlicensed gambling fine totals €37 million, the regulator’s largest to date. The Netherlands Gambling Authority says EOD Code ran platforms including Instantcasino, Skyhills and Betiro for Dutch players without a valid Dutch licence, while accepting cryptocurrency payments and offering unclear age verification.
- The EOD Code Unlicensed Network
- Age Checks and Crypto Payments
- AI Assistants Point to Illegal Sites
- What The KSA Will Do Next
EOD Code SRL ran a network of more than a dozen gambling websites for Dutch users without a valid Dutch licence. The KSA confirmed inspectors could place bets from inside the Netherlands on several of them, breaking the rule that licensed operators must block Dutch players from unlicensed services.
Among the sites involved: Instantcasino, Skyhills, Slotmonster, Betiro, Betblast, Fastslots, Goldenpanda, Sambaslots, Winningz, Incognitocasino, Foxygold and Luckypays. The operator’s platforms were accessible to Dutch players despite the missing licence, which is the core of the enforcement action.
AGBrief has tracked European unlicensed operator crackdowns for years.
KSA unlicensed gambling fine: A dozen sites, one operator
The KSA investigated EOD Code SRL over an extensive period and found the operator had provided unauthorised gambling platforms to Dutch users. The sites were not isolated one-off failures. They operated as a coordinated network, each reachable from the Netherlands despite the absence of a Dutch licence.
Regulators can levy fixed administrative fines or switch to a revenue-based sanction when illegal turnover warrants a heavier penalty. The KSA chose the latter, calculating the penalty from EOD Code’s substantial income earned from Dutch bettors. The resulting €37 million charge is the largest the Authority has issued for unauthorised gambling.
Age Checks and Crypto Payments
The fine covers more than simply the missing licence. KSA inspectors flagged numerous aggravating factors, including unclear or inadequate age verification on the sites. Underage gambling has been a recurring problem for the Authority, and this case added to the evidence.
The operator also accepted cryptocurrency and other anonymous payment channels. The KSA warned that those options raise money laundering risks and make consumer protection harder to enforce. Meryam Sümer, a member of the Christian Democratic Party, had called for raising the Dutch online gambling age from 18 to 24 earlier this year, citing the debt situation in Enschede.
AI Assistants Point to Illegal Gambling
The KSA case arrives alongside a Dutch study published earlier this month, which found that popular generative AI chat and search assistants often recommend online gambling sites without official Dutch licences. All 10 tools tested, including ChatGPT, Claude and Meta AI, named at least one unlicensed operator by name or domain in at least one conversation.
Eight tools responded with unlicensed operator names to neutral or leading questions, and four of them, including Mistral Le Chat, Google AI Mode, DeepSeek and Grok, produced those names after a single question. Following this, the KSA’s enforcement case and the AI study point to the same gap: players are discovering illegal operators through search and conversation, not through regulated channels.
What The KSA Will Do Next
The €37 million fine is the largest the regulator has issued for unauthorised gambling in the Netherlands. The Authority’s investigation also established that unlicensed platforms remain reachable from Dutch players, a problem that revenue-based penalties alone cannot fully close.
The AI findings suggest the next enforcement priority may extend beyond individual operators. Regulators are now looking at how search and chat assistants route players toward unlicensed gambling, a channel that traditional licensing rules were not built to cover.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who did the KSA fine?
EOD Code SRL was fined €37 million, the Netherlands Gambling Authority’s largest penalty to date. It operated a network of more than a dozen online gambling sites, including Instantcasino, Skyhills and Betiro, without a valid Dutch licence.
How big is the €37 million fine?
It is the highest sanction the KSA has ever issued for unauthorised gambling. The Authority chose a revenue-based fine over a fixed administrative penalty after calculating the operator’s substantial income from Dutch bettors.
Why was EOD Code penalised?
The KSA found the operator ran platforms accessible to Dutch players without a Dutch licence and failed to block them. Inspectors confirmed bets could be placed from inside the Netherlands, while age verification remained unclear and crypto payments were accepted.
What about cryptocurrency payments?
EOD Code accepted cryptocurrency and other anonymous channels. The KSA warned that these methods raise money laundering risks and weaken consumer protection. The penalty therefore covers the full enforcement problem, not just the missing licence.
Why is AI a concern for the KSA?
A Dutch study found that 10 generative AI tools all named at least one unlicensed gambling site. Four, including Google AI Mode and Grok, did so after a single question. The KSA sees this as a gap that traditional licensing rules do not yet cover.
What happens next?
The KSA’s investigation is complete and the €37 million penalty stands as its largest unauthorised-gambling sanction. Enforcement attention now extends to how AI assistants route players toward unlicensed operators, a channel licensing rules have not been built to cover.
This article has been thoroughly researched and reviewed by the CasinoBait editorial team to ensure accuracy and relevance for Asian casino players.
