The Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) has dished out three penalties to the businesses alleged to be behind the Casinoscout website, which was found to be advertising illegal operators to Dutch players.
The regulator warned SBM Holding Group, Sun Block Media Labs 2.0 and JEF Holdings that should they continue to advertise illegal casinos, they would be hit with fines of €75,000 per week with a maximum penalty of €225,000.
The KSA found that SBM and JEF had acquired the Casinoscout site in January 2025, while Sun Block was determined to be the domain holder of casinoscout.nl.
The KSA sent SBM Holding Group, which is registered in Selby, England, a warning letters on 27 February 2025 and 19 May 2025 after it found illegal gambling adverts.
On 28 January 2025 and 5 February 2025, the KSA found ads for illegal firms and clickable links taking players to unlicensed gambling sites.
The site also had a page with a heading that read: “Best online casinos in the Netherlands”, with 10 unlicensed casinos listed below it, all “clearly visible, allowing users to easily identify them”, the KSA said.
The regulator added that the top of the casinoscout.nl page also had text reading: “Best unlicensed casinos 2025”.
A further inspection on 14 April 2025 found the same website had links directing players to besteonlinecasinonederland.com, which had similar ads for unlicensed operators, including instantcasino.com.
In an attempt to shut down the website, the KSA contacted Internet Domain Registration Netherlands (SIDN) on 24 April which led to the site being temporarily taken down.
However, the site was back up the following day after the domain name holder “promised SIDN that it would comply with Dutch regulations”.
On 30 April, the KSA re-examined the casinoscout.nl website and found it was no longer accessible to players in the Netherlands, but the besteonlinecasinonederland.com was still offending.
The KSA announced on 19 May its intention to impose a penalty order on SBM Holding Group and a month later found the IP block on casinoscout.nl had been lifted. The SIDN was contacted again and the site was taken down.
A further check was conducted on 25 June which found casinoscout.nl was no longer available but besteonlinecasinonederland.com remained live.
SBM Holding Group was given an opportunity to contest the investigation by 2 June but did not respond.
The KSA also found the similar offences in its investigations against Sun Block and JEF.
The regulator said: “For a while, casinoscout.nl promoted only legal gambling, but in early 2025, it was acquired by a new owner.
“From that point on, illegal gambling was promoted via the website. Not only is offering illegal gambling prohibited in the Netherlands, but advertising for it is also prohibited.
“Because the KSA considers the violation not over, the parties have now been issued a penalty payment order to stop illegal advertising on all their platforms.”
In other KSA news, the body has ordered ZEbetting and Betca to stop offering set markets in tennis, which are not allowed under Dutch law due to concerns around match-fixing.
The post KSA issues trio with penalty order for advertising illegal operators first appeared on EGR Intel.
Investigation into SBM Holding Group, Sun Block Media Labs 2.0 and JEF Holdings finds previously compliant casinoscout.nl website had been promoting unlicensed, black market operators via two affiliate sites
The post KSA issues trio with penalty order for advertising illegal operators first appeared on EGR Intel.