Dutch Lottery Forces Illegal Site Skyhills Offline With Legal Threat
Nederlandse Loterij, the Dutch state lottery operator, has taken formal legal steps against unlicensed operator Skyhills, ordering it and the individuals behind it to stop targeting Dutch players.
The lottery says the illegal site went offline for consumers in the Netherlands almost immediately after being served notice.
A Formal Summons, Not Yet A Court Case
According to Nederlandse Loterij's own statement, the companies and individuals behind Skyhills are based in Costa Rica, North Macedonia, the United Kingdom, Curacao, Malta and the Marshall Islands.
The lottery issued a formal summons demanding that they cease Dutch operations, hold them liable for the alleged breaches and disclose more about the business structure behind the site, so that further targeted legal action can follow if needed.
The site's disappearance from the Dutch market means the lottery's immediate goal has already been achieved.
Nederlandse Loterij chief executive Arjan Blok said Skyhills used deceptive advertising, including on TikTok, to specifically target Dutch players, particularly young people. "They can gamble there completely unprotected, with all the associated risks," Blok said. "That is unacceptable."
Third Operator Targeted This Year
Skyhills is the third unlicensed operator the lottery has pursued.
A case against Qbet, filed after the operator had already been hit with a record 24.8 million-euro fine by the Dutch Gambling Authority (KSA), is still ongoing.
An earlier case against Costa Rica-based Lalabet resulted in a ruling largely in the lottery's favour in June 2026, with the court finding that the operator had acted unlawfully towards Nederlandse Loterij and ordering it to stop targeting Dutch consumers.
The lottery is appealing a separate part of that ruling that cleared a Curacao trust office of liability.
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Lottery Opposes A Blanket Ad Ban
The action comes ahead of a Dutch parliamentary debate on gambling policy.
Blok said planned reforms that give the KSA more powers to act against illegal sites are welcome but could take years to implement, and called for the Public Prosecution Service to use criminal prosecution more immediately.
At the same time, he argued against proposals for a total advertising ban on licensed operators, saying it would push more players toward the black market, which the lottery says already accounts for half of Dutch gambling activity and 95% of gambling advertising, with around 200,000 Dutch consumers gambling illegally.
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