The Dutch Lottery (Nederlandse Loterij) has initiated a lawsuit against an illegal gambling operator. The legal action targets Skyhills, a Curaçao-based company that does not possess a Dutch gaming license.
The Dutch Lottery Remains Bullish on Weeding Out Illegal Operators
The Dutch Lottery’s lawsuit slams Skyhills for allegedly targeting Dutch customers to play, despite its lack of a gambling license. For reference, the Netherlands strictly prohibits unlicensed companies from targeting locals with their services.
In addition to that, Skyhills was actively promoting its products to players in the country via TikTok, the Dutch Lottery understood. This was slammed as “devious” advertising due to the fact that TikTok is used by many younger people and the fact that Skyhills does not offer the same player protection measures that its legal counterparts do.
Through its lawsuit, the Dutch Lottery hoped to force Skyhills to cease its illegal offer in the Netherlands and exit the market. The crackdown came shortly after the Dutch Lottery’s success against Lalabet.
For reference, Skyhills is the third illegal gambling platform to be sued by the Dutch Lottery. The latter operator seeks to stop the unlicensed website’s operation in the Netherlands and learn more about who is behind it in order to take any targeted legal follow-up steps. The lottery added that the first of these goals has already been achieved and that the illegal platform is no longer accessible to players in the Netherlands.
Arjan Blok, CEO of the Dutch Lottery, emphasized that protecting players is paramount for legal operators in the country and that players who gamble in the Netherlands must know that they are protected. He accused Skyhill of its harmful practices and called them “unacceptable.” Still, Blok was pleased that the Dutch Lottery’s intervention has caused Skyhill to shut down its business in the Netherlands.
The Dutch Lottery Prepares to Sue Qbet
In other news, the Dutch Lottery previously initiated similar lawsuits against Lalabet and Qbet. The Lalabet case saw the court rule against the illegal operator, marking a huge success for the Dutch Lottery. The Qbet case has yet to begin.
In any case, the Dutch Lottery’s strategy seeks not only to force illegal operators to exit the market, but also to unmask their owners in case further legal action is needed.
In its release, the Dutch Lottery also advised against an advertising ban for legal online gambling providers in the Netherlands, calling such a move “unwise,” since it would make legal gaming companies less competitive.