Skyhills Goes Offline After Dutch Lottery Legal Warning

Skyhills has stopped serving users in the Netherlands after Nederlandse Loterij challenged the offshore gambling business over its local activity. The Dutch lottery is also looking at the companies and individuals behind the site.

Dutch players could previously register with Skyhills and gamble despite the operator having no licence from the Kansspelautoriteit. Nederlandse Loterij has now demanded an end to that activity. Soon after the move, Skyhills became inaccessible from the Netherlands.

The lottery has not limited its attention to the website itself. It wants information about the ownership and corporate structure behind Skyhills as it considers further action against those involved.

Attention Shifts to the Companies Behind Skyhills

Skyhills is linked to a network of businesses and individuals spread across several countries and territories. Nederlandse Loterij named connections to Curaçao, Malta, Costa Rica, North Macedonia, the UK and the Marshall Islands.

That structure is becoming an important part of the dispute. Rather than focusing only on blocking access to an offshore casino, the lottery wants to establish who operates it, who controls it and which entities are responsible for its Dutch business.

CEO Arjan Blok also criticised the way Skyhills promoted itself in the Netherlands. He said advertising on platforms including TikTok was aimed at Dutch consumers and could reach younger audiences. The concern is that customers of offshore sites do not receive the safeguards required under the regulated Dutch system.

Nederlandse Loterij Has Used the Same Route Before

Skyhills is not the first gambling business to face this type of action. Nederlandse Loterij previously went after Lalabet, another operator that accepted Dutch customers without a local licence. That dispute resulted in a court ruling requiring the parties behind Lalabet to stop offering gambling to consumers in the Netherlands.

The lottery has also started a separate case involving Qbet and parties connected to that business. Taken together, the three cases show a broader tactic taking shape. The KSA can fine and investigate illegal operators, while Nederlandse Loterij is testing what can also be achieved through civil law.

That can put pressure on people and companies sitting behind an offshore brand, rather than waiting for action against each individual website.

Black Market Remains a Problem Despite High Channelisation

Dutch MPs are due to discuss gambling policy on September 3, with illegal operators expected to remain part of the debate. The Netherlands still has a large gap between the number of players using regulated sites and the money retained by those sites.

KSA data for the second half of 2025 showed that around 91% of online gamblers used only licensed providers. However, regulated operators accounted for about 53% of gross gaming revenue. The remaining share was attributed to the illegal market.

Skyhills disappearing from Dutch access is an immediate result, but it does not settle the wider problem. Offshore brands can replace domains and reorganise their corporate structures. The bigger test for Nederlandse Loterij will be whether its civil cases can make the businesses and individuals behind those sites harder to replace than the domains themselves.