The Netherlands Gambling Authority has revoked a lottery licence obtained through identity fraud after an unknown party impersonated the chairman of amateur football club Quick Boys during the application process.
The Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) said the licence had been issued in the name of the Katwijk-based club even though Quick Boys had never submitted an application and had no involvement with the lottery operation.
The fraudulent applicant used the authorisation to create several websites selling lottery tickets while presenting the activity as connected to the football club. The KSA has classified Quick Boys as a victim of identity fraud rather than a participant in the scheme.
The regulator identified eight websites linked to the operation: loterij.quickboys.nl, loterijenqb.com, besteloterijqb.com, nieuweqb.com, bestenl.com, topnetherlands.com, newloterij.com and topsloterij.com. None of the sites is operated by Quick Boys.
Consumers have been warned not to enter names, addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers or banking information on the sites. The KSA said it does not know how information already collected may be used, raising the possibility of further phishing attempts or identity fraud.
Anyone who bought a ticket has been advised to contact their bank about reversing the payment, report the incident to police and notify both the Dutch Fraud Helpdesk and the KSA. People who submitted personal information have also been told to watch for unexpected emails, text messages or calls requesting additional details or payments.
KSA tightens licence checks after fraud
The regulator said the Quick Boys case is part of a wider trend in which fraudsters use false information and the identities of legitimate associations to create apparently authorised lottery operations.
Football and other community organisations can legitimately use lotteries to raise funds, making recognised club names particularly useful to criminals attempting to convince consumers that an offer is genuine.
The KSA said another comparable attempt had already been stopped after additional verification, but the safeguards in place did not prevent the Quick Boys application from succeeding.
Following the discovery, the authority immediately strengthened identity checks on licence applicants and increased scrutiny of domain names entered in the Kansspelwijzer, its public register used by consumers to verify licensed gambling operations.
Dutch gambling industry publication CasinoNieuws also reported that domain registration information appeared to use the identity of Quick Boys chairman Bartus van Kruistum, further indicating that the fraud extended beyond the licence application itself.
The KSA has filed a police report over the case and said it will not provide further details while the investigation remains active.
The regulator is also warning consumers about a broader increase in imitation websites linked to legitimate lotteries. It advised users to be cautious of unfamiliar domain names, payment requests involving foreign bank accounts and lottery offers that do not appear through an organisation’s official channels.
Consumers who are uncertain about a lottery are encouraged to verify its licence through the Kansspelwijzer or contact the organisation named in the promotion directly.