Dutch Lottery forces illegal casino Skyhills out of Netherlands

Nederlandse Loterij has forced unlicensed online casino Skyhills out of the Dutch market after taking action against the companies and directors behind the platform.

The state-controlled lottery operator issued cease-and-desist demands. These were to parties reportedly connected to Skyhills across the UK, Malta, Curaçao, Costa Rica, North Macedonia and the Marshall Islands. Skyhills subsequently became inaccessible from the Netherlands.

The platform is operated by Curaçao-based Skyhills NV and does not hold a licence from Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA). Despite this, players in the Netherlands had reportedly been able to register, deposit money and gamble through the site.

TikTok advertising allegedly targeted young players

Nederlandse Loterij accused Skyhills of using misleading advertising, including promotions placed on TikTok, to attract Dutch consumers.

Arjan Blok, chief executive of Nederlandse Loterij, said the advertising had particularly targeted younger players who would not receive the protections required within the regulated Dutch market.

“Skyhills uses devious advertising, including on TikTok, explicitly targeting Dutch players, especially young people.” – Arjan Blok

Blok said it was encouraging that the website had become unavailable immediately following the lottery operator’s initial action.

The involvement of companies and individuals spread across several jurisdictions also illustrates the difficulty regulators face when attempting to identify who ultimately controls an offshore gambling website.

Although the UK was named among the jurisdictions connected to Skyhills, Nederlandse Loterij has not publicly identified the relevant British party or explained its role. The reference therefore does not establish that the casino itself is operated from Britain.

Legal action expands beyond casino websites

Skyhills is the third unlicensed gambling operation targeted by Nederlandse Loterij, following earlier action involving Lalabet and Qbet.

The court did not find that Curaçao-based trust administrator DECC or its directors had acted unlawfully. It concluded that there was insufficient evidence that they knew they were providing services to a company operating an illegal Dutch gambling site.

Nederlandse Loterij intends to appeal that part of the ruling. It argues that trust companies should be responsible for investigating their clients and determining whether their activities are lawful.

The operator is also pursuing a separate civil case connected to Qbet. That action extends beyond the casino’s immediate operator to directors, trust offices, shell companies and other parties alleged to have facilitated the business.

Dutch enforcement turns towards supporting businesses

The strategy marks a shift away from targeting only the website visible to players.

An  unlicensed casino can potentially change its domain or reorganise its ownership after access to one site is removed. Identifying the directors, payment providers, corporate service firms and hosting businesses supporting it may make it harder for the operation to return under another name.

Nederlandse Loterij has called for banks, payment providers and hosting companies to accept greater responsibility for services supplied to illegal gambling businesses.

The Dutch government is separately considering stronger enforcement powers, including measures that could allow illegal gambling websites to be blocked more effectively.

Blok also called for the Dutch Public Prosecution Service to consider criminal action rather than relying entirely on civil proceedings and regulatory sanctions.

The dispute has emerged amid continuing concern about the size of the Netherlands’ illegal gambling market. While most Dutch online players use licensed websites, estimates based on gambling revenue indicate that a much larger proportion of total spending may be reaching unlicensed operators.

That difference matters because it suggests the consumers using illegal platforms may be losing considerably more than players who remain within the regulated market.