Online gambling company in Curaçao hit with fine of 100,000 euro

[MisterBJ]

WILLEMSTAD – A company that offers online gambling in the Netherlands, must pay a fine of 100,000 euros because it has no license for online gambling. According to the authorities, it is the first time that the Gaming Authority imposes a fine on such a company.

The company Global Stars is located in Curacao, but focuses on Dutch internet users who would like to play for example, bingo, roulette or just a lottery. Permits cannot be requested at this moment for the provision of online gambling. Authorities are working on a law that makes that possible. Until then gambling via internet is banned in the Netherlands.

 

[vinylweatherman]

How are they going to collect this fine, the company is based in Curacao?

It's the same problem the UK will face next December, and it has already created a system whereby companies with a UKGC secondary license will also have to lodge some kind of asset or legal liability within the UK that can be targeted should the offshore company fail to pay it's taxes. Even this would not help in a situation similar to this one, as the company would still be able to offer gambling from Curacao to UK players whether or not it had the UKGC permit and paid tax.

The only hope is that in the future, such companies might want to go legal and get the required permit, and at this point a requirement to pay all previous fines could be introduced before the grant of any permit or license.