Kindred temporarily ceases operating in the Netherlands

Kindred Group, which ambition to be a sustainable operator in the Netherlands once a license is awarded, has cease any services in the country on a temporary basis. This decision has been taken due to recent policy changes communicated by the Dutch Minister for Legal Protection on 20 September and the opening of the market to licensed operators on 1 October 2021. 

According to Kindred, the letter from Minister Sander Dekker does not explicitly request operators to cease services towards Dutch citizens as long as the prioritization criteria published in 2019 are followed. Kindred will now seek further clarification on the intention of the Dutch government and the KSA. “The opening of the online gambling market in the Netherlands is a very positive step for all involved. We look forward to receiving our Dutch license during 2022, and thereby positively contribute to the Dutch society as a valued expert in achieving a sustainable gambling market”, said Henrik Tjärnström, CEO Kindred Group. “We have always put a safe gambling environment at the very core of our strategy and operations, and already now comply as much as possible with all Dutch license requirements. We remain fully dedicated to consumer protection, preventing addiction and combatting fraud and crime. An important part of this is our ambition to reach zero per cent revenue from harmful gambling by 2023”, he added.

Kindred is preparing for the opening of the Dutch licensing process under the Remote Gambling Act, and has been working on the preparations for a Dutch license application, as well as successfully completed all required audits. Having completed preparations, Kindred will now, in accordance with the regulatory timeframe that it must observe, apply for the Dutch license during the fourth semester of this year.