Dutch Regulator Orders Slot Studio Endorphina Off Illegal Sites

By John Isaac,
Chief Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac Chief Editor at online-gambling.com

As chief editor at online-gambling.com, John Isaac edits the pages that explain gambling law in the US, the UK, Ireland and Norway, and our Pakistan casino pages. He wrote eight of the site's US state hubs and its responsible gambling guides. His own writing centers on blackjack and poker, backed by a degree in political science and international relations.

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Last updated: November 11, 2026

The Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) has ordered slot studio Endorphina to keep its games away from unlicensed casinos that accept Dutch players. The binding instruction carries the date October 19, 2026. The KSA published it on November 2.

It covers two Endorphina companies, based in Malta and Cyprus. KSA inspectors connecting from the Netherlands played Endorphina games on 27 illegal websites from January to September.

Endorphina Games Found Across Three Rounds of Checks

Only KSA-licensed operators may offer online gambling in the Netherlands. The KSA treats supplying games to a site without one as promoting illegal gambling under the Betting and Gaming Act, even for a company that never takes a bet.

A January and February sweep found Endorphina titles on 11 sites, and a June recheck found them on 18. Late in September, inspectors played them on eight sites popular with Dutch players. Several sites turned up in more than one round.

Instant Casino, whose operator drew a record €37 million fine from the KSA in October, was one of the sites checked. Hell Hot 100 was the title inspectors opened most often.

Two other sites, luckygem.com and qbet.com, already faced KSA penalty orders. Inspectors could still play Endorphina games on both in September, and the KSA saw no technical block stopping Dutch visitors from loading them.

Six Months of Contact Before the Order

The KSA first wrote to Endorphina on April 2 and passed on what it had found on April 15. The decision sets out how the following months went:

• April 16: at a meeting, Endorphina said it could explain the findings within a week
• May 7: it cited contractual confidentiality as a reason not to share everything
• May 14: it argued there was no proof it had deliberately served unlicensed operators
• July 14 and September 9: the KSA gave notice of the planned instruction, first to the Maltese company, then to the Cypriot one

Endorphina told the regulator it works only business to business and checks for a Dutch license before supplying the Dutch market. In its view, some games also reach sites via licensed resellers, so its logo need not mean a direct deal.

In July, the studio says, it limited access to its titles on every site the KSA had named, as far as it technically could. It also tightened partner contracts. The September checks still found its games live on illegal Dutch sites.

Two Weeks to Act, With an Objection Filed

For a binding instruction, the regulator ruled, intent does not matter, and neither does which of the two companies sent the games. It also said keeping games off unlicensed sites needs no extensive or complex technical work.

Endorphina had two weeks from October 19 to take adequate steps and report back. The regulator pointed to technical controls in the studio’s own systems and to contract terms with the casinos and distributors that buy its games.

A binding instruction is not a fine. The KSA can use it when a supplier may not have known its service was feeding illegal gambling. Endorphina has lodged an objection, which does not suspend the order.

“The availability of these games can give consumers the impression that the unlicensed website is reliable.”

Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA), decision published November 2, 2026 (translated from Dutch)

The studio’s titles also sit in the lobbies of licensed Dutch slot sites. A familiar studio name on the game screen says nothing about the casino’s license.

Any brand can be looked up in the KSA’s Kansspelwijzer register to confirm a Dutch license. Licensed casinos are also linked to Cruks, the Dutch national self-exclusion list, which they must consult before letting a player in.

The deadline fell on November 2, the day the decision went public, and the KSA has not said whether Endorphina met it. Its next checks will show whether the games are gone, and the decision warns other suppliers too.