Dutch Gambling Watchdog Probes Online Casinos for Offering Cashback Bonuses

The Dutch gambling regulator, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), is investigating local online casinos for offering illegal cashback bonus promotions to their customers.

These promotions, which promise to refund a percentage of the losses incurred by players, were first spotted by KSA last November. The regulator warned the operators to stop advertising them on platforms accessible to Dutch citizens.

The regulator said that “Bonuses are classed as an advertising activity. According to the law, adverts may not encourage immoderate gaming behavior. We believe that this is the case with cashback bonuses. They encourage players to take more risks and lower the threshold for gambling, such as by playing with higher stakes or more frequently”.

New advertising rules in the Netherlands came into force on July 1, 2023. However, in August, KSA found that one online casino was still promoting these bonus offers. 

The regulator asked the operator to remove them immediately, but this raised doubts about the effectiveness of previous warnings and led to a full-scale investigation.

The KSA has not revealed what penalties the online casinos may face if they are found guilty of violating the advertising rules.