Dutch Authority Penalises Licensed and Illegal Gambling Operators

The Netherlands Gambling Authority has imposed a €750,000 fine on Tulipa Ent Limited, the operator behind the ComeOn brand, after concluding that the company failed to meet its legal duty of care obligations. The regulator said the shortcomings occurred between December 2023 and September 2024 and involved insufficient protection of players against excessive gambling and gambling addiction.

Tulipa holds a Dutch licence and must actively monitor player behaviour, particularly among younger adults. According to the regulator, the operator did not respond adequately to warning signs of harmful play, allowing risky activity to continue without timely safeguards. As a result, the authority determined that enforcement action was necessary.

Investigation Highlights Gaps In Player Protection

As part of its review, the regulator requested access to 10 player files involving young adults who had recorded significant losses. In every case examined, investigators identified breaches of the duty of care. The authority found that indicators of excessive gambling either went unnoticed or did not trigger appropriate responses.

The review showed that some players lost thousands of euros within short periods while remaining able to gamble freely. In several instances, players were permitted to set very high deposit limits despite behaviour that suggested heightened risk. These failures often delayed intervention or led to measures that did not sufficiently limit harm.

Michel Groothuizen, chairman of the board of the regulator, said: "The Ksa previously found that providers' implementation of their duty of care varied too widely and often left much to be desired. We therefore conducted additional research with various providers, resulting in the various duty of care fines we are now seeing. Providers absolutely must not let slip something as essential as the duty of care, especially when it concerns vulnerable target groups such as young adults."

The regulator stated that protecting players is a core requirement of the Dutch gambling framework and applies most strongly to groups considered vulnerable. The fine follows a warning issued to Tulipa in November concerning anti-money laundering failures, signalling ongoing scrutiny of the company’s compliance record.

Separate Penalty Targets Unlicensed Gambling Activity

In a separate enforcement action, the authority issued a €4.23 million fine to Starscream Limited, a company based in Saint Lucia, for offering online gambling in the Netherlands without a licence. The regulator found that the company operated several websites that remained accessible to Dutch players.

The investigation identified rantcasino.com, allstarzcasino.com, and sugarcasino.com as platforms that allowed users in the Netherlands to register, deposit funds and participate in real-money gambling. At the time of the review, the sites lacked effective measures to block Dutch access.

The authority also identified shortcomings in player safeguards. Users could gamble without visible age verification, and autoplay functions were available. Both practices breach Dutch rules due to their potential to encourage addictive behaviour. The platforms also accepted payments from Dutch customers, with deposits possible “via iDeal or a credit card linked to a Dutch bank account,” according to the regulator.

Source:

“ComeOn casino fined for failure to comply with duty of care”, kansspelautoriteit.nl, January 13, 2026