Kansspelautoriteit, the Dutch gaming authority, has issued an order subject to a penalty on Casbit Group NV for offering games of chance without a licence.

The KSA stated that it informed Casbit at an earlier stage that it intended to impose an order subject to a penalty on the operator for illegal games of chance on its lala.bet website.

Casbit responded by removing accessibility to its website for players in the Netherlands, but upon re-inspection, the authority claims the website is still accessible in the country, so a penalty has been imposed.

With the order subject to penalty, KSA has called on Casbit to immediately stop the illegal offering, with a penalty of €280,000 per week with a maximum of €840,000 being imposed if this is not complied with.

An objection has been lodged against this decision.

Earlier this year, the authority presented a new supervisory agenda as part of its ‘Safe Gaming’ mission and public objectives to bolster player protection.

Detailed within its 2..

Maryland’s push for online casino legislation fell flat on Monday after it was made apparent that the igaming bill that made its way from the House into the Senate was met without adulation.

The bill, which would have offered up to 30 online casino licences for the Old Line State, faced controversy from its inception and throughout its journey through the house as opponents fought against the motion.

A key issue surrounding the bill stemmed from a flurry of research studies that presented the issue of online casinos potentially cannibalising land-based venues.

One paper from Eilers and Krejcik commissioned by iDEA growth placed the impact on retail bottom lines at around two percent, whereas more damning studies found this figure to be somewhere between eight and 10 per cent, as suggested in research from The Innovation Group.

This led unions to come out in full force against the online casino bill, alongside anti-gambling opponents and retail organisations. The AFL-CIO and UNITE ..

GambleAware is looking to commission an evaluation and learning partner to assess the effectiveness of the National Gambling Support Network.

Within its invitation to tender, GambleAware noted that the partner will play a “key role in generating and disseminating learning throughout the NGSN as well as conducting an integrated review of its clinical, operational and economic effectiveness”.

In addition, the gambling support charity said that the flagship, mixed-methods programme will examine NGSN as a system, providing “valuable insights and assurances to support the future commissioning of the NGSN post-white paper”.

Open to various evaluation questions, strands and methodologies, GambleAware is also encouraging the commissioned partner to provide additional insights, knowledge and creativity.

Previously known as the National Gambling Treatment Service, the NGSN was redesigned in 2022 to meet the growing and changing needs of those at risk of gambling harm, offering a regional fir..

Kansspelautoriteit has extended its contract with Human Assistance Network for Daily Support – Hands 24×7 – for Loket Kansspel, the country’s support centre for gambling problems.

In addition, the Dutch gaming authority has imposed a binding instruction on DigitalOcean, ordering the hosting provider to cease and desist from providing services to affiliate websites that are referring Dutch players to illegal gambling operators.

KSA stated that Hands 24×7 has been supporting Loket Kansspel for several years, with employees helping to provide gambling information, help and guidance 24/7 to those that need it, as well as referring people to support and help and guidance in their local area when necessary.

According to the authority, Loket Kansspel was approached over 6,600 times in 2023 by gamblers or their friends and family who sought help or information via telephone, chat or WhatsApp.

KSA praised Hands 24×7 employees for being “skilled and motivated” with Loket Kansspel, extending ..