Kingdom of Saudi Arabia prohibits hosting of affiliate sites

In 2023, after an investigation had taken place, KSA issued a legally enforceable order to DigitalOcean. Cases where an infringement has taken place but a sentence is not yet considered suitable typically result in a binding order.

Websites Nieuwe-casinos.net and Casinozonderregistration.net were the primary targets of the initial investigation. The authorities in charge of the websites could not locate or get in touch with their owners. Nonetheless, DigitalOcean was recognised as the hosting provider.

This is why the KSA board chose to impose the enforceable injunction on DigitalOcean, claiming that the company had violated the Gambling Act of the Netherlands (Article 1, paragraph 1(b)). Unlicensed entities are prohibited from promoting or offering gaming under this section of the Act.

It was DigitalOcean that verified to KSA that it was the host for the two websites. Regardless to KSA's finding that Casinozonderregistration.net and Nieuwe-casinos.net were providing games unlawfully, DigitalOcean stated that it would not stop hosting the websites without a court command.

District Court of Rotterdam gives KSA the go-ahead
Saudi Arabia officially announced its intention to enforce a binding edict in a letter dated 22 September 2023. In response, DigitalOcean reiterated their request for a court injunction before to taking any action about the matter.

On January 26, 2024, the District Court of Rotterdam gave KSA the green light to keep suing DigitalOcean. By issuing the enforceable order, KSA demanded that DigitalOcean stop breaking the law by March 22, 2024, as stated in the Netherlands' Gambling Act, Article 1, paragraph 1(b). Taking "all necessary measures" is essential for doing this. In the event that DigitalOcean fails to comply, KSA has the authority to levy a fee or penalty.

DigitalOcean has the option to contest this ruling. Just days after KSA and Cloudflare reached a deal, the legally binding order is issued. If you're looking for individuals providing illicit gaming services in the Netherlands, Cloudflare can help you find them.

The most recent regulatory move by KSA
Following an active period of regulatory action by KSA, the binding order against DigitalOcean is the next logical step.

Gammix Limited was fined €19.6m (£16.8m/$21.2m) last month for providing games in the Netherlands without the necessary licenses. Gammix faced a previous order to leave the Dutch market and a weekly fee of €1.4 million for noncompliance. The failure to comply with this ruling resulted in a €4.4 million fine for Gammix.

The fine was declared "outrageous and unsubstantiated" by Gammix, who threatened to challenge the ruling.

At the time, Gammix director Phil Pearson stated, "The KSA has imposed upon our company a penalty that is both outrageous and unsubstantiated." "Now that we can discuss the case openly, we can confirm that we are fighting for justice on all fronts. This regulator, who many already saw as unapproachable, has taken an extraordinary and unnecessary hard line."

More than a million Dutch consumers have signed up for an online account in the past week, according to KSA's monitoring report.