The Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) has issued bet365 operator Hillside New Media Malta with a sanction over alleged duty of care failings.
Hillside, which holds the licence via which bet365 operates in the Dutch market, was first contacted by the KSA in November 2024 as part of an audit of the company’s financial assessment protocols.
Dutch regulation requires operators to means test customers to ensure they can adequately afford the deposits they place.
Operators are obliged to request verifiable supporting documents such as tax returns and pay slips to adequately assess a player’s financial situation.
Means testing is required for any young people aged between 18 and 23 who deposit more than €300 in a given month.
Players aged 24 or over who deposit more than €700 are also required to be tested, with the operator then setting an appropriate deposit limit depending on the outcome of the assessment.
If the financial check is not performed, the operator is obligated to block deposits from that player for the rest of the month.
The KSA’s investigation found Hillside’s method of means testing to be insufficient.
In one instance, the regulator uncovered that Hillside asked players to complete a questionnaire regarding their income.
This was despite the KSA warning operators in early 2025 that questionnaires weren’t a valid method of means testing customers.
The KSA also attested that Hillside performed its net deposit limit calculations “incorrectly”, leading players to “deposit more than they could possibly afford based on their financial situation”.
The alleged shortcomings took place between 6 December 2024 and 6 June 2025.
As a result, the regulator has issued Hillside with a binding instruction to become compliant with the required means testing protocols within the next four weeks.
The operator must also adjust the net deposit limits of players whose financial situation was incorrectly assessed.
Possible penalties for failing to comply include the revocation of the operator’s Netherlands licence in the most extreme instance, or a fine.
A KSA statement read: “The company must, in the manner prescribed by the KSA, record and analyse signals that may indicate that the player can (possibly) no longer afford the financial consequences of their gambling behaviour and must then take appropriate intervention measures.”
The KSA noted that Hillside has objected to the sanction.
A Hillside statement in the ruling’s appendix read: “Hillside’s primary position is that the Netherlands Gambling Authority should refrain from imposing the binding instruction. In short, Hillside argues that it has not committed a violation and has not committed any such acts during the period of the violation. Therefore, the Gambling Authority has no authority to issue a binding instruction.”
A bet365 spokesperson added: “bet365 does not recognise the allegations made by the KSA. bet365 places customer safety at the forefront of its activities, and takes gambling protections extremely seriously.
“We will continue defending this matter through the proper legal process, and remain confident that the allegations will be found to be unsubstantiated.”
Last month, the KSA issued LeoVegas Group with a €500,000 fine for duty of care failings which took place between October 2023 and May 2024.
The regulator also hit ComeOn Group with a €750,000 penalty for similar failings earlier this month.
The post Dutch regulator sanctions bet365 for duty of care shortcomings first appeared on EGR Intel.
KSA issues the operator with a binding instruction to implement sufficient means testing protocols within the next month
The post Dutch regulator sanctions bet365 for duty of care shortcomings first appeared on EGR Intel.