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Betsson AB subsidiary Corona Ltd, operator of the krooncasino.com and oranjecasino.com websites, is to appeal the €300,000 fine issued by Dutch gambling regulator De Kansspelautoriteit (KSA).

In its media release, Corona states that it “maintains its prior position that its operations comply with applicable laws and regulations in the absence of an EU-compliant gambling legislation in the Netherlands.

“If the appeal with the regulator is not successful, Corona Ltd will refer the matter on appeal to a court of law to defend its rights. Pending the procedures, the sanction will not become irrevocable.”

Pontus Lindwall, chief executive officer at Betsson AB, stated: “Betsson share KSA’s ambition to achieve a high channelisation of customers into a future locally regulated environment in the Netherlands.”

In a statement last month, the KSA stated that it handed down the fine due to the Kroon and Oranje online casino brands bring judged to have offered gaming to customers in the country without the required local licence.

This follows moves made by the lower house of the Dutch parliament two years ago, which saw the approval of the Remote Gaming Bill, that has thus far not had the approval of the country’s Senate.

In June of this year, government officials stated that the coalition government in the Netherlands had an intention to resume the legislative process, and has pencilled in an initial aim of seeing the new regulation introduced by 2020.

Betsson also detailed that further entities that fall under its banner were the subject of KSA investigations, however, the regulator established that there were no violations with regards to them and no fines were imposed.

Betsson AB acquired its Corona entity four years ago, “in anticipation of the re-regulation of the Dutch online gaming market,” which the group details was due, and it expected, to occur in 2015 “according to public information”.