The Netherlands Gambling Authority KSA set enforcement penalties on two operators, ComeOn and Starscream and the move showed a push to protect players and stop illegal gambling in the Netherlands.

The sanctions target a licensed brand and an unlicensed brand and the regulator stated serious gaps in compliance under Dutch gambling law. Tulipa Ent Limited received a €750,000 fine and the company runs legal activity in the Netherlands under the ComeOn name.nThe regulator said Tulipa did not meet the statutory duty of care demands from December 2023 to September 2024. Dutch rules require licensed brands to take action to protect players from heavy gambling and addiction risk and to apply strong safeguards for young adults. The investigation team checked 10 player files for young adult customers and these players made large gambling losses.

Officials said each case showed a failure to detect early signs of harmful gambling. Findings said intervention steps came late or steps came in the wrong form, even when player losses reached thousands of euros over short periods. Checks also showed deposit limits at levels seen as too high without deep review. Board chair Michel Groothuizen said earlier reviews showed wide differences in duty of care action by licensed brands. He said extra checks took place across several licence holders and these checks brought a list of fines. He added that errors in the protection of players in young adult groups remain unacceptable.

Starscream Ran an Illegal Online Gambling Site in the Netherlands

The regulator gave Starscream Limited a €4,228,000 penalty for running online gambling in the Netherlands without approval. Starscream, based in Saint Lucia, runs rantcasino.com, allstarzcasino.com and sugarcasino.com without a Dutch licence. Dutch customers opened accounts, placed deposits and took part in gambling and no technical block stopped access from the Netherlands. Officials said Starscream received an order to stop illegal activity, but did not follow it. Investigators found no clear age checks and they found autoplay options that both breach Dutch rules and push addiction risk.

The Dutch legal gambling system sets strict consumer protection demands and unlicensed brands avoid these demands. The regulator said the office works with banks, payment firms, hosts and large tech firms to block unlicensed activity. Groothuizen said fine recovery from firms outside the EU remains hard, but he said penalties send a signal and illegal offers will face action in the Dutch market.