The independent administrative body that supervises and regulates gambling services in the Netherlands, the Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA), has hit BetCity with a EUR 2.65 million ($3.07 million) fine. The punitive measure came as a result of the operator failing to protect young players from gambling-related harm. 

Improper Monitoring

The regulator’s decision followed a lengthy investigation that unfolded between October 2021 and March 2023 and followed several young adult players who reportedly lost large sums of money.

Entain, which completed its acquisition of BetCity in January 2023, inherited the issue from the operator’s previous management. According to the KSA, BetCity breached its legal duty to monitor risky behavior and intervene when players showed signs of problem gambling.

The company appealed the decision earlier this year, but the KSA rejected the appeal in August, stating that BetCity’s objections to both the fine and the requirement to publish the decision were unfounded.

“We Have Intensified Our Oversight” 

Michel Groothuizen, chair of the KSA, said the case once again highlighted the regulator’s focus on player safety. 

“We have a licensed gambling market based on the principle that anyone who wants to gamble can do so safely,” he said. “Therefore, providers have a duty of care to their players and must respond appropriately to excessive gambling. Large losses are an important signal of this.”

“We have intensified our oversight of the online duty of care, and we are taking strong action against violations like those we observe here at BetCity. We truly do not want to see providers fail so badly in their duty of care, especially for vulnerable young players.”

The regulator’s probe, launched in 2023, found serious failures across multiple cases. In its review of the 10 player accounts with the highest losses, every single one showed evidence of rule violations. Each player was between 18 and 23 years old and had lost tens of thousands of euros within months.

One player reportedly lost over EUR 63,000 ($73,150) in a year, including EUR 43,000 ($50,000) in just one month. Another lost EUR 80,000 ($93,000) in a year without any changes to their deposit or betting limits. According to the KSA, BetCity either failed to act on these warning signs or responded far too late.

A BetCity spokesperson told NEXT.io: “We acknowledge the KSA’s findings in this case. This legal action concerns the historical failures of BetCity’s previous owner and management, Sports Entertainment Media.”

The spokesperson added that, since the acquisition of BetCity at the start of 2023, Entain has “thoroughly reviewed and significantly strengthened all operational processes” to improve all player protections and use the best responsible gambling practices in the industry.