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Four Men Arrested for Illegal Online Gambling Operations in Holland

Four Men Arrested for Illegal Online Gambling Operations in Holland

Added: November 18, 2013

Last week news broke about an online gambling scandal that took place in Holland. The law enforcement authorities in the country made the official announcement of their conducted arrest of four people who have been linked to the gambling ring and were conducting illegal online gambling operations. The crime ring has been under investigation since May of this year as the country prepares to bring in legalized online gambling to its citizens.

Four men were arrested in the operations and they are all residents of Holland. They have been accused of money laundering an estimated amount of €110 million through the provision of illegal online gambling activities. They also managed to raise between €30 and €50 million in revenue from the ring's operations, and none of that money was reported to any authorities.

The main suspects are a man from Geldrop and his brother, who have been reported to be the main organizers of the illegal operations. In order to find the suspects, the Dutch authorities raided around 80 houses and buildings, as they all were connected to the crime ring. It was much harder to pin point who were the people involved in the criminal activities, and to collect evidence that would incriminate them. However, during the house seizures the authorities ran into enough information and the four men are now waiting to be sentenced.

The Dutch gaming authority, known as Kansspelautoriteit, is behind the move well as they have pressured the media in the country to stop broadcasting advertisement by illegal operators. The country is trying to remove all negative links to gambling so that when the legalized version of the activity come it can be offered in a safe and reliable manner to users and the negative associations that may arise from illegal operators will be taken out of the picture.

Operators who offer online casino and betting services in Holland illegally are facing a substantial fine. “I expect that the disclosure of the penalty decision to other companies and individuals will have a preventive effect and make it clear that the provision of (online) gambling without a Dutch license is prohibited in the Netherlands," Jan Suyver, chairman of the the Gaming Authority said.

This is a great step for such a progressive country, and we wish Dutch people the best of luck with the introduction of legal online gambling as we know it will benefit their economy and citizens.