The Rotterdam District Court ruled that the player lost funds on unlicensed gambling websites and ordered Betsson to repay the customer over €500,000 (£429,630 or $568,483).
The customer filed against BML Group Limited and Corona Limited. They referred to only as “Eric” in court documents. This related to money he lost while gambling on sites operated by the two companies.
When the customer made their first deposit, the case dates back to 2014. Online gambling was not legal in the Netherlands at the time. Nonetheless, the player said they were able to gamble with numerous online casinos operated by BML and Corona, including Betsson, Kroon Casino and Oranje Casino.
All in all, the player said they deposited €385,378 by gambling with the unlicensed websites. The case challenged whether these monies should be refunded as they were not gambled and lost legally.
Rotterdam District Court heard the case recently. The court said the default judgment was to rule in favor of the player, as Betsson did not attend.
Between the player and the online casino operators null and void, the primary ruling saw the court declare the gambling deal. This was because of the sites not being allowed to operate legally in the Netherlands. Intrinsically, Betsson was ordered to repay the €385,378 deposited with the sites.
In addition to this, according to the court, Betsson is liable for interest from the date of the first deposit in 2014. Dynamiet Nederland represented the customer. It said that this interest totaled to €144,622.
Per se, the total amount due to the player is almost €530,000, with an additional €5,751 because of legal costs.
Casino Nieuws reports that Deepak Thakoerdien, founder of Dynamiet Nederland, said this ruling confirms that affected gamblers can reclaim their losses and claim interest on those amounts. Built up annually, this interest compensation can therefore increase considerably, as is now evident.
