Novatech and Qbet taken to court by Dutch lottery

National lottery provider and the biggest gambling operator in the Netherlands, Nederlandse Loterij, has issued a notice that it will seek its legal rights against operator Qbet and all connected entities behind it.

Qbet, owned by Novatech together with 55Bet, another illegal entity targeting Dutch consumers, was labeled as “the largest illegal gambling site” in the Netherlands by Nederlandse Loterij.

As such, the licensed operator announced that it will seek to permanently bring down Qbet and the larger chain of command by leveraging all legal measures it has at its disposal.

A similar lawsuit, again by Nederlandse Loterij, was launched against Lalabet in 2025, which was the first such at this scale. Hearings in that case are currently taking place at The Hague.

It would be interesting to see how the latest case with Novatech develops, as the company is licensed in Curaçao, and although it is an autonomous nation under the Dutch Crown, the legal systems of both Curaçao and the Netherlands are intertwined.

Of note, Novatech was recently handed a record €25m (£22m) fine by the Dutch gambling regulator, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), for offering illegal gambling, and the Nederlandse Loterij lawsuit will now add a separate case to the piling legal scrutiny.

However, nothing is stopping Novatech from just surrendering its Curaçao licence, which would limit the legal levers that can be pulled against it.

Arjan Blok, Chief Executive Officer at Nederlandse Loterij, commented: “Players can still easily go to illegal gambling sites, without age check and game limits and with irresponsible bonuses and misleading payment methods.

“Meanwhile, 200,000 Dutch people are gambling illegally. It is precisely these players who run the greatest risks, because they play more often and with more money on illegal sites. 

“That is why Nederlandse Loterij takes responsibility and we are taking the largest illegal gambling site to court. Not only the direct offender, but also everyone behind it who facilitates this site. With the aim of blacking and keeping illegal gambling sites black.”

Blok has been quite vocal about the problems facing the Dutch market, particularly when it comes to black market operators and the dwindling channelisation rates within the licensed sector.

During the last Gaming in Holland event, which SBC News reported on in detail, the Nederlandse Loterij CEO expressed full commitment to working closely with the KSA towards closing the door to the black market once and for all.