Last updated on October 1st, 2024
Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the notorious Dutch gambling regulator, has issued a fine to Luxurybingods for organizing and advertising unlicensed bingo operations without a valid permit.
Luxurybingods is ordered to pay a total penalty fee of €190,000 ($211,532), and this includes a fine of €19,000 per bingo operation. For advertising violations, the company is ordered to pay a fee of €9,500 per advertisement or a total penalty of €95,000.
The initial suspicious activity from Luxurybingods was first noticed in March 2024, after which KSA supervisors went to the Harbour Club in Eindhoven to investigate in person on March 27th of the same year.
KSA officials then confirmed that Luxurybingods organized bingo tournaments without the neccessary permit and concluded that the organization hadn’t even applied for a gambling license. What is more baffling is that Luxurybingods even advertised its bingo tournaments on TikTok.
Moreover, KSA’s investigation concluded that Luxurybingods is the sole proprietor of the bingo tournaments, and as such, it is the only company profiting from the illegal activities.
Another concerning evidence is that the organization (Luxurybingods) charged €65 per ticket, which is substantially higher than the legal maximum for bingo tickets in the Netherlands, which, according to the regulator, has all the bases to be considered fraud.
KSA’s investigation also revealed that Luxurybingods has a high probability of recurring offences as the organization “has a history of subjecting itself to regulatory scrutiny.” Additionally, there is further evidence of even more unlawful bingo tournaments organized by Luxurybingods at alternative locations.
Commenting on this matter, the KSA strongly believes that the fine order imposed on the organization will eventually discourage Luxurybingods from further pursuing these unregulated gambling activities.
This action is just one of the strings of legal proceedings by the KSA when it comes to illegal gambling activities.
One such case is the warning issued by the Kansspelautoriteit to two influencers from the Netherlands who promoted an illegal online casino on YouTube, with the two aforementioned removing the video shortly after the order.
