The Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) has officially warned Smart Gaming, operator of the Betnation brands, due to issues with its self-exclusion verification process.
During the period of January to March 2026, Betnation reportedly failed to verify a number of customers against the use of the national self-exclusion system, leading some users to be able to access the site’s gambling services. Circumventing or avoiding the verification process.
In response, Betnation provided testimony to KSA and said that this was caused due to a technical malfunction. Once the operator knew of the issue, Betnation undertook manual verification suitability checks of the affected users’ accounts, and contacted the players.
Betnation willfully reported the technical malfunction to KSA, undertook steps to remedy the situation and provided restitution for any affected customers. Moreover, the operator agreed to implement stronger internal controls to mitigate the chance of a similar occurrence in the future.
As KSA took into consideration all the facts under review, KSA has issued only an official warning and has not imposed any type of disciplinary financial penalty. KSA stated that any future failure to comply with the requirements and any other operator could be subject to more severe penalties.
The KSA said:
We are very concerned that the Cruks checks were not carried out. Players who register in Cruks do this to protect themselves and should be able to assume that they will therefore not be able to gamble with licensed providers. KSA expects all providers to carry out Cruks checks correctly. Providers are responsible for a properly functioning control system and must immediately identify and resolve technical problems. KSA continues to monitor this closely.
KSA reiterated that operators have the responsibility to ensure that their own verifications will work correctly and identify any problems caused from a technical standpoint in a timely manner.
There are approximately 118,000 persons self-excluded from gaming in the Netherlands through the self-exclusion program system Cruks.