KSA warns Vbet over prohibited World Cup bets
The Dutch gambling regulator has warned SoftConstruct-owned Vbet for a second time this year over prohibited betting markets, after finding the brand offered bets on throw-ins, fouls, corner kicks and offsides during World Cup matches.
The Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) said all four market types are outlawed in the Netherlands. The violations were picked up through what the regulator described as “heightened surveillance” of licensed operators during the tournament.
Because a repeat breach had now been established, the KSA said it had issued a formal warning rather than moving straight to enforcement.
“Because another violation has now been established, the KSA has issued a warning to the provider. In the event of a subsequent violation, the KSA may take enforcement action.”
The regulator did not disclose how many bets were placed on the prohibited markets or over what period they were available. A warning is the step below formal enforcement in the KSA’s escalation process, which can lead to remedial orders and financial penalties.
Second flag in three months
This is the second time the KSA has named Vbet over its betting markets this year. In April the regulator flagged the brand, alongside Holland Casino Online, for offering bets on own goals, a market that is also banned in the Netherlands. Both operators removed the markets after being contacted.
Dutch rules prohibit betting on events a single player or small group can manipulate without affecting the result, on the grounds that such markets carry a heightened match-fixing risk. Own goals, throw-ins, fouls, corners and offsides all fall into that category. The restriction is one of the stricter interpretations of betting-market integrity among licensed European jurisdictions.
Vbet is the business-to-consumer betting brand of SoftConstruct, the Armenian-founded technology group that also owns the BetConstruct platform supplier. The company holds a Dutch remote gambling licence issued by the KSA.
Heightened World Cup surveillance
The warning follows a set of measures the KSA put in place before the World Cup. Ahead of the tournament, the regulator sent a letter to all betting licensees warning it was prepared to take “immediate enforcement action” against regulatory violations spotted during the event, and that it would step up monitoring of the markets operators offered.
In parallel, the KSA launched a multi-channel responsible gambling campaign aimed at consumers betting on the World Cup, part of a wider push to keep advertising and market conduct within Dutch rules during a period of elevated betting activity. The Netherlands operates one of Europe’s more prescriptive frameworks on what operators may advertise and which markets they may offer, an approach documented across the KSA’s enforcement record over the past year and set out in TGE’s 2025 European iGaming compliance review.
The World Cup, the first to feature 48 teams and staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico, has drawn close regulatory attention across licensed markets, with several authorities signalling tighter scrutiny of in-play and micro-betting products during the tournament.
What happens next
For Vbet, the warning sets a clear line: a third breach of the Dutch market rules would move the case from advisory to enforcement, exposing the operator to remedial orders or a fine. For the wider licensee base, the case shows the KSA is acting on the “heightened surveillance” it promised before kick-off, and that repeat offenders will not get a third informal pass. More regulatory action is likely before the tournament closes, as the KSA continues to monitor the markets Dutch-licensed operators put in front of consumers.
Source: Kansspelautoriteit
