Dutch Regulator Fines Instant Casino Operator Record €37 Million

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: October 28, 2026

A €37 million penalty from the Netherlands Gambling Authority (Kansspelautoriteit, KSA) has hit EOD Code SRL, the company behind a network of unlicensed online casinos targeting Dutch players. The regulator announced the penalty on October 22, 2026, calling it its largest yet against an illegal operator.

Instant Casino was the site that first drew the KSA’s attention. Further digging linked 11 more sites to EOD Code, and every one of them let Dutch players register and bet with no license in place.

Twelve Casino Sites, No Dutch License

Only companies licensed by the KSA may offer online gambling in the Netherlands. EOD Code, which describes itself on Instant Casino as registered in Costa Rica, has never held that license.

KSA inspectors could bet on every one of the company’s sites, none of which tried to block visitors from the Netherlands. The decision names all 12 brands:

This was not the KSA’s first step against the company. EOD Code had already received a penalty order (last onder dwangsom) for the same violation. Even so, Dutch players could still reach its casinos when the KSA checked again.

That order, issued in July 2025, set €280,000 for each week its casinos stayed open to Dutch players, up to €840,000. EOD Code forfeited the full amount without paying, and the KSA moved to collect it in December 2025.

A Revenue-Based Fine Tops the Novatech Record

The KSA usually sets fines from standard amounts in its fining policy. When those amounts are small next to what an illegal operator has earned, it may calculate the penalty from estimated revenue instead. It chose that route for EOD Code.

EOD Code ignored the KSA’s request for its figures, so the regulator estimated them from search volumes. It put the company’s 2025 gross gaming revenue from Dutch players at €108.4 million and its worldwide total at €373 million.

On the fining policy alone, the penalty came to €292.6 million, or 270% of the Dutch figure. Dutch law, however, caps a fine at 10% of the previous year’s worldwide revenue, which cut the final amount to €37.25 million.

The previous high was €24.8 million for Novatech, the company behind QBet and 55Bet, announced in March 2026. Two years earlier, Gammix, which ran Rant Casino and BetOriginal, had been fined close to €20 million.

Missing Age Checks, Crypto Deposits and iDEAL Payments

Several findings made the case more serious in the KSA’s view. The sites showed no visible age check before sign-up, and visitors could deposit with cryptocurrency or anonymous payment methods, a setup the KSA links to money laundering.

The KSA listed six more: banned bet types, autoplay, missing playing limits, minimum deposit amounts, a €5 monthly fee on dormant accounts and unfair terms. One term let EOD Code keep the balance of any player who chose permanent self-exclusion.

Ten of the 12 sites offered Dutch payment methods. Betiro, BetBlast, Golden Panda, Samba Slots and Winningz took iDEAL, and all 10 listed Dutch banks such as Rabobank, ING or ABN AMRO.

Licensed Dutch sites face stricter rules. Players at iDEAL casinos in the Netherlands pay straight from their own bank account, and every licensed operator must confirm that the payment account is in the player’s name.

Not every licensed operator runs those checks properly. On October 8, the KSA published guidance after finding that minors could sometimes deposit from their own youth accounts. It now tells operators how to check first names on the account.

Banks and Tech Firms Are Part of the Response

Fines are only one of the tools the KSA uses against offshore operators. In its October 22 announcement, the regulator pointed to a second line of attack:

“Action against illegal offerings is taken not only through administrative fines, such as this one, but also through intensive cooperation with third parties, such as payment service providers, hosting companies, banks and large tech companies.”

Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA), announcement of October 22, 2026 (translated from Dutch)

A search in the KSA’s Kansspelwijzer checker shows whether a brand holds a Dutch license. None of EOD Code’s 12 sites do.

Players who stick to licensed Dutch online casinos are also covered by Cruks, the Dutch self-exclusion scheme that every licensed site must check before letting someone play.

EOD Code has until mid-November to lodge an objection, which would not put the fine on hold. Without the legal cap, the KSA’s own calculation would have set a penalty almost eight times higher than the record it imposed.