KSA Slaps €886,000 Fine On 711 For Duty Of Care Failures

Kannspelautoriteit has fined operator 711 €886,000 after an investigation found repeated failures to meet its duty of care obligations. 

The regulator reviewed 10 player accounts and concluded that the operator did not adequately protect them from gambling harm. According to the KSA, every file examined contained breaches of the Dutch Gambling Act, which occurred between 2022 and 26 June 2024.

This enforcement action is the first publicly announced financial penalty by the regulator since March 10, when Fortaprime SRL received a €1.8 million fine and Novatech was hit with a record €24.8 million sanction.

KSA Chairman Michel Groothuizen suggested the case may form part of a wider regulatory review. “We have observed that not all providers implemented their duty of care equally well from the opening of the market. We have therefore conducted additional investigations, which are now resulting in various duty of care fines.”

Investigation Focused On Players With The Highest Losses

The 10 accounts reviewed were selected because they had the highest gambling losses between October 2023 and March 2024. 

According to the KSA’s sanction report, 711 failed to identify signs of excessive gambling and take action to prevent addiction in these cases.

The regulator also found that the operator failed to follow its own internal responsible gambling procedures. Under 711’s stated policy, a risk analysis should be initiated when a player records losses of €2,500.

Regulator Uses Income Benchmarks To Assess Gambling Risk

The KSA repeatedly compared gambling losses against average monthly and annual income levels to determine whether spending patterns should have triggered intervention. In one example cited within the report, a player lost €27,000 within four days.

“It is also important in this regard that the player lost an amount exceeding 10 median monthly salaries in four days and had a daily deposit limit of more than seven median monthly salaries, while 711 had no insight whatsoever into the player’s financial position.”

The regulator viewed this as an indication that stronger affordability assessments should have been conducted.

Enforcement Signals Tougher Expectations For Operators

Beyond the financial penalty, the case highlights the KSA’s strict approach to responsible gambling enforcement.

The regulator has placed more emphasis on early intervention and evidence of active response to signs of gambling harm.

Groothuizen confirmed that regulatory expectations have been strengthened following recent investigations. “We have further tightened the requirements regarding the duty of care to prevent excesses such as those we are seeing here in the future.”

The Netherlands Gaming Authority has imposed a fine of €886,000 on the operator 711 for failing in its duty of care obligations. This followed the regulator’s investigation, which revealed 10 accounts of players that could have been better protected from gambling harm and addiction.