The Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) recently made headlines by issuing two penalty orders against the owner of the Luxurybingods social media account for offering and promoting bingo games in the country without a proper license.

Luxurybingods is now facing two separate penalties, one for organizing bingo games and another for advertising them. The penalty for organizing games amounts to €19,000 per game, up to a maximum of €190,000. Meanwhile, the penalty for advertising is set at €9,500 per advert, with a maximum penalty of €95,000.

According to Dutch gambling regulations, only entities that have been in operation for at least three years are allowed to run small games of chance such as bingo. Additionally, there are strict rules regarding the prizes offered in bingo games, with top prizes required to fall within a specific range of €400 to €1,550. Moreover, there is a complete ban on advertising bingo games, which extends to all games of chance in the Netherlands.

A recent investigation by the KSA revealed multiple violations of Dutch gambling laws by Luxurybingods. During a visit to the Harbour Club in Eindhoven, KSA supervisors discovered that Luxurybingods was unlawfully conducting bingo games. Tickets were being sold for €65 each, and the top prizes far exceeded the legal limit. It was also noted that the bingo games were being organized for the benefit of Luxurybingods.

Furthermore, KSA officers found that Luxurybingods was extensively promoting its bingo games on the social media platform TikTok. This blatant disregard for the regulations led the KSA to take action, as they deemed the risk of recurrence to be high. The regulator pointed out that Luxurybingods had previously organized illegal bingo games at other venues and had been actively advertising its games on Instagram since 2022.

In response to these violations, the KSA stated, “The organization has already been reprimanded for this by KSA. The imposed penalty payment order prevents the person concerned from continuing to organize these types of bingos.” This firm stance by the regulator serves as a warning to other operators who may be tempted to flout the rules and regulations governing the gambling industry in the Netherlands.