Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has fined The Stars Group €400,000 (£353,442/$439,500) for operating without a licence in the country, via the PokerStars.eu domain.
The KSA carried out an investigation into the PokerStars.eu site during the second half of 2018 and identified a number of factors that showed the site was targeting Dutch consumers.
In its findings, the KSA said the site was accessible from the Netherlands despite The Stars Group not holding a licence in the country, while customers were able to deposit funds using iDEAL, an online payment method only available in the Netherlands.
Other factors included an in-site contact form published in Dutch language and the mention of two Dutch problem gambling organisations. In addition, the Netherlands was not mentioned in a list of countries from which gambling via the website was not permitted.
The KSA also noted that the Netherlands classes poker as a game of chance, and only Holland Casino is allowed to offer real-money poker services at one of its land-based sites.
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