Nederlandse Loterij Blocks Skyhills Access in Netherlands After Multi-Jurisdictional Cease-and-Desist Orders

Nederlandse Loterij has ordered the operators of the unauthorised gambling site Skyhills to stop serving Dutch players. The action follows a court ruling in a separate Lalabet case and includes cease-and-desist notices sent to connected companies and directors in Costa Rica, North Macedonia, the United Kingdom, Curaçao, Malta and the Marshall Islands. The Skyhills platform is now inaccessible in the Netherlands.

Arjan Blok, CEO of Nederlandse Loterij, stressed player protection concerns. “Skyhills uses devious advertising, including on TikTok, explicitly targeting Dutch players, especially young people. Players there gamble without any safeguards and face all associated risks,” he said. “This is unacceptable. It is encouraging to see Skyhills go offline immediately after our initial action.”

This represents the third illegal operator targeted by the state-backed lottery firm, after prior actions against Lalabet and Qbet.

Precedent from Lalabet Ruling

The Skyhills effort builds directly on the Lalabet case, which reached a milestone in June. A Dutch court ruled that Lalabet’s operators and directors acted unlawfully by targeting Dutch players and ordered them to cease operations while providing detailed ownership and shareholder information. The ruling also considered liabilities for trust administrators and local representatives that facilitate such sites, though it did not hold Curaçao-based trust firm DECC liable in that instance.

Nederlandse Loterij plans to appeal parts of the Lalabet decision, arguing that trust firms hold a duty to properly vet clients. The operator is investigating the same trust firm’s role in both Qbet and Skyhills, with further proceedings likely once corporate structures clarify. As reported by iGaming Business, these steps signal closer scrutiny of intermediaries.

Push for Faster Enforcement Amid Reform Debate

The crackdown aligns with Dutch House of Representatives discussions on gambling regulation reforms this week. Nederlandse Loterij welcomes proposals to expand the Gambling Authority’s powers against illegal operators yet cautions that comprehensive legislative changes could take years. Blok called for immediate criminal prosecutions by the Public Prosecution Service together with measures by regulators and licensed operators, assigning joint responsibility to banks, payment providers and hosting services.

The lottery operator criticised a proposed blanket advertising ban on licensed providers, warning it could drive players to unregulated sites. Illegal operators control approximately half of the Dutch online gambling market and roughly 95% of online gambling advertisements, often masquerading as licensed entities. Around 200,000 Dutch citizens already engage with unauthorised platforms. The illegal market now matches the regulated sector, with estimated annual revenues in excess of €1 billion ($1.1 billion), per VNLOK data. The trade body has sued Meta and filed a European Commission complaint over illegal ads on Facebook and Instagram.

Where Enforcement Gaps Remain

Immediate cease-and-desist measures deliver quick wins, yet appeals over trust-firm liabilities and the slow pace of legislative reform leave room for illegal operators to adapt. Regulators and licensed entities must coordinate more tightly on payment blocks and ad enforcement to close these channels before further market share erodes.

Reporting: iGaming Business (iGB)

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