The Hague has upheld the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA)’s decision to deny a Malta-based provider a gambling licence in the Netherlands, marking the first court ruling on an integrity test for online gambling providers.
The initial refusal in 2023 stemmed from the provider’s failure to disclose critical information about one of its shareholders, who was suspected of involvement in the murder of an investigative journalist covering a major corruption scandal in Malta.
Court documents indicated that the scandal likely extended to Malta’s gambling industry, posing a serious risk that the permit could be misused for criminal activities due to the provider’s ties with the former shareholder.
The provider argued that the shareholder had been bought out in late 2019 afte