Dutch political parties ChristenUnie, SP, SGP and CDA have submitted parliamentary questions about the return of 888 to the Dutch market. The online casino is operated by ComeOn Group but uses the 888 brand, which is a trademark of gambling company Evoke plc.
888 previously operated in the Netherlands under Evoke before going offline shortly before the legalisation of online gambling. Although Evoke was reportedly interested in obtaining a Dutch licence at the time, it ultimately failed to secure one.
The reappearance of the 888 brand in the Netherlands, now through a different operator, has been criticised in parliamentary questions. The MPs have asked State Secretary Van Bruggen whether it is acceptable for gambling companies with a history of legal breaches to re-enter the Dutch market through what they describe as indirect corporate structures. They cite 888 as an example of a brand returning via a roundabout route.
They also ask how previous breaches of gambling law are considered when assessing licence applications. One of the parliamentary questions also asked the State Secretary to address the role of the Gaming Authority, KSA, in this matter.
The Dutch regulator KSA is usually one of the most active European regulators in enforcing against unfavourable practices, with strict standards.
This week, Unibet has been issued an official instruction from the KSA for violating the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act. Of the policies stated in the instruction, transaction monitoring and control measure guidelines were not carried out fully by Unibet.
Meanwhile, last month, the KSA imposed a record fine of nearly €25m ($29.2m) on Novatech Solutions, the company behind Qbet, for providing illegal online gambling services. The fine was substantial due to Qbet’s significant revenue from Dutch players.
Furthermore, KSA recently published studies highlighting inconsistencies in the implementation of the duty of care, alongside updated guidance designed to support online gambling operators in meeting their duty of care obligations.
This latest publication forms part of a broader pattern of regulatory activity from KSA in early 2026. Previous month alone, the authority has warned sports betting operators over markets falling outside the scope of their licences, published guidelines on compliant online gambling advertising and released its annual match-fixing trend analysis – the latter revealing a new pattern of athletes betting on their own competitions.
KSA recently also formally addressed JOI Gaming, operator of the Jacks.nl platform, over a breach of the Netherlands’ rules on untargeted gambling advertising
