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The state-backed Nederlandse Loterij has ordered the operators of the unauthorised gambling site Skyhills to cease serving Dutch players.

This action came in the wake of a recent court ruling in a separate case involving Lalabet.

On Tuesday, Nederlandse Loterij announced it had sent a cease-and-desist notice to companies and directors connected with Skyhills across several jurisdictions, including Costa Rica, North Macedonia, the United Kingdom, Curaçao, Malta and the Marshall Islands. 

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Van Bruggen revealed the cabinet was in the process of developing legislation to introduce DNS blocking for illegal sites, with a consultation due for early 2027.

Members flagged the growing issue of illegal gambling sites’ advertising appearing across social media, an issue the sector in Netherlands has sought to tackle directly through legal action against Meta.

Speaking on behalf of the government, Van Bruggen said: “Meta, especially as one of the parties, but also Google, is really open to this conversation.”

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“The regulatory failures are unhelpful but perhaps the sheer number and regularity of them has made them less remarkable, such that they become ‘wallpaper’,” Waugh says.

He argues that some lawyers and licensees believe the Commission’s presentation of cases is detached from the operational reality but feel they have little option other than to accept the “regulator’s truth” when settling.

“The Commission’s approach to reporting may well create the inaccurate impression that the industry is inherently non-compliant,” he adds. A more balanced account might place failures alongside the majority of licensees that pass assessments or lead on customer wellbeing, although Waugh considers such a shift unlikely.