European operator ComeOn has been dealt a hefty fine for failure to prevent excessive gambling among its customer base between December 2024 and September 2025.
The betting site was asked to provide the player files on ten young adult individuals with high losses. Dutch gambling regulators, the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), found comprehensive issues in each file, meaning the company failed in its duty of care to its customers.
Comprehensive investigation provides damning evidence
The KSA is widely regarded as one of Europe’s stricter gambling regulators. Its investigation found late or inappropriate intervention in problem gambling detection, which is one of the core requirements of mature national regulators.
KSA chairman Michel Groothuizen reiterated responsibility placed on operators to ensure a safe gaming experience for all customers. He said: “The KSA has previously observed that the implementation of the duty of care by providers varied too widely and often left much to be desired. We’ve therefore conducted additional research with various providers, resulting in the various duty of care fines we’re now seeing.
“Providers must not falter on something as essential as the duty of care, especially when it concerns vulnerable groups such as young adults.”
Unlicensed casino also hit by KSA
ComeOn isn’t the only online operator to receive the wrath of the Dutch gambling regulator. The Saint Lucia-based Starscream Limited, the company behind Rantcasino.com, Allstarzcasino.com and Sugarcasino.com, were handed a €4.22 million fine for offering illegal gambling to Dutch players.
The authority said its investigation showed players in the Netherlands were able to open accounts, fund them and gamble freely, with no effective measures in place to restrict access from within the country.
It also noted that Starscream had been instructed in the past to stop offering its services to Dutch customers, but continued operating in breach of that order.
Regulators also flagged the absence of clear age-verification safeguards and the availability of autoplay functions, features that are prohibited under Dutch rules because of their potential to heighten the risk of gambling harm.
Another major compliance fine for ComeOn
The €750,000 fine is significant, but not the largest regulatory penalty ComeOn has ever received. That distinction goes to Swedish regulatory action that resulted in fines in the tens of millions of euros across its brands back in 2021.
Sweden’s gambling regulator, Spelinspektionen, ordered iGaming operator ComeOn Group to pay a combined $20.96 million in fines after four of its Swedish-licensed websites were found to have breached the country’s strict ban on repeat bonus offers.
The regulator said an investigation showed CasinoStugan.com, Hajper.com, ComeOn.com and Snabbare.com had unlawfully provided players with bonus cash, free bets or complimentary slot spins beyond the single bonus permitted under Swedish law, prompting warnings and financial penalties across all four brands.
The largest sanction, $7.79 million, was imposed on Snabbare.com, while Hajper.com was fined $5.99 million, ComeOn.com $4.19 million, and CasinoStugan.com $2.99 million.
Financial penalty crackdown for sector in 2025
The new year is starting as last year finished for the casino industry. Some trackers and enforcement summaries indicate last year shows a sharp increase in penalties, with the global casino and gambling sector facing an estimated $160 million in regulatory penalties in just the first half of 2025 alone, according to a study,
From Europe to the United States, authorities signaled weak safeguards around duty of care, self-exclusion, and illicit financial activity would no longer be tolerated, marking a decisive shift away from viewing compliance as a secondary cost of doing business.
The year saw a series of high-profile actions, including Spain’s record €77.4 million crackdown on unlicensed operators, multi-million-dollar AML penalties against major casino groups in Nevada, and escalating sanctions across the UK, Sweden, and the Netherlands for social responsibility lapses.
Taken together, the enforcement wave points to a more coordinated and punitive global regulatory posture. AML breaches have proven the most expensive failing, while lapses involving vulnerable customers, underage gambling, and self-excluded players drew consistent penalties across jurisdictions. Regulators also widened their focus, extending scrutiny to social casinos and grey-market operators alongside licensed firms.
With a new year on the horizon, operators will be steeling themselves for compliance audits and player safety checks to avoid future punishment.
