Dutch Casino Fined for Failing to Prevent Self-Excluded Gambler’s Access
The Netherlands’ gaming regulator, known as the KSA, imposed a financial penalty of €45,000 (equivalent to roughly $49,500) on a Merkur gaming establishment for neglecting their duty to prevent at-risk gamblers from participating. They fell short in effectively employing the Dutch self-banning program, Cruks, established to assist individuals grappling with gambling dependency. This mechanism empowers individuals to essentially prohibit themselves from all gambling locations within the Netherlands, encompassing both online and physical venues.
Here’s a breakdown of the situation: a gambler, having already utilized Cruks to restrict themselves from gambling activities, successfully gained entry to the Merkur casino situated in Almere on nine occasions over a fortnight. Although the casino personnel attempted to verify the player’s status within the Cruks system, they encountered error notifications. This technical glitch, regrettably, implied the casino couldn’t definitively ascertain the player’s presence on the self-exclusion roster, leading to their permission to gamble. This occurrence underscores the critical importance for gambling operators to implement robust protocols and guarantee the seamless operation of systems like Cruks to safeguard susceptible individuals.
A gaming establishment in the Netherlands received a substantial penalty of €45,000. Apparently, they allowed an individual to bypass their protocols on not one, but nine separate occasions! One might assume they would have detected this pattern after the second or third instance, but this particular person was experiencing a streak of luck. The regulatory body overseeing gambling in the Netherlands expressed dissatisfaction with the establishment’s security measures, particularly because the individual in question was prohibited from engaging in gambling activities.
