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Dutch Lottery takes legal action against unlicensed Skyhills casino

The Dutch Lottery has taken legal action against Skyhills over allegations that the online casino operated in the Dutch market without the required licence.

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Netherlands Lottery
Key Points
The Lottery is using private-law action route
The case aims to identify Skyhills’ corporate structure and hold its directors accountable

The Dutch Lottery (Nederlandse Loterij) has launched legal proceedings against Skyhills. It accuses the online casino of illegally targeting Dutch players without a licence from the Dutch Gaming Authority (KSA).

The Lottery opted for action through 'private law' means, noting that KSA’s enforcement actions are not always the most effective. Furthermore, it issued a formal notice to Skyhills and a cease-and-desist letter.

The KSA usually attempts to shut down illegal gambling sites and fines casinos operating without a gambling licence. Nevertheless, recent data obtained by a Woo request shows that in 2021, only 2.5% of these fines were actually paid.

This is mainly due to jurisdictional issues, as many of these operators are based in small countries outside Europe, where it is very hard to enforce penalties.

The Lottery’s ultimate goal is to hold the Skyhills directors liable and obtain more information about the corporate structure.

Its CEO, Arjan Blok, stated: "In our role as the largest gambling provider in the Netherlands, I believe we have a duty to make the sector healthy for players.

"We want to make operating these types of illegal websites as difficult as possible. Together with the Gaming Authority, banks, tech platforms, payment services and hosting companies.’’

The KSA praised these efforts, noting that ‘'a multi-track approach can actually help make the Dutch market less attractive for illegal offerings.’’

Earlier, the regulator imposed a penalty payment order on Skyhills' parent company, EOD Code SRL. Skyhills is very active on social media in targeting Dutch players, especially on TikTok.

The KSA already investigates influencers connected to its illegal ads, and estimated last December that Skyhills made nearly €5m in profit on the Dutch gambling market in April 2025.

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