The Challenge
In 2012, the Dutch government proposed new gambling legislation to bring the industry into the digital age. The Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa) was appointed to enforce these laws into action. To obtain their online gaming license, Nederlandse Loterij needed to meet all the new strict data requirements by October 2021 when the new regulations took effect. The complex project involved building a data platform with streaming capabilities on Azure Cloud, which can store all incoming data from multiple sources, compile it in the required format, and send frequent reports to the relevant authorities.
Next to that, one of the key requirements to earn a license is the ability to prove the organization knows who their customers are by performing Know Your Customer (KYC) checks, for which the Eraneos Data & AI team developed a fraud detection module.
The approach
By law Nederlandse Loterij must provide accurate and complete data of each transaction taken by players to the Ksa within a certain time frame. The information must be provided almost real-time and continuously with strict rules on latency. Previously, Nederlandse Loterij worked with a data warehouse platform that could only provide scheduled data deliveries a couple of times a day. New regulation required a new data platform.
Based on the needs of the customer, we developed a Data Hub on Azure Cloud that can store, process, and analyze all the information coming from all different data sources and put it in the required format. Due to the large volume of data going through the platform streaming capabilities were added to the platform as well.
Next to that, we also developed a fraud detection module using a subset of the data which looks for unusual deposits and withdrawals. This helps Nederlandse Loterij prevent money laundering and adds know-your-customer (KYC) capabilities.
Created in 2016 from the merger between De Nederlandse Staatsloterij and De Lotto, Nederlandse Loterij is the largest provider of games of chance in the Netherlands. The company consists of ten trusted brands: Staatsloterij, Lotto, Eurojackpot, Miljoenenspel, Lucky Day, Krasloten, TOTO Winkel, TOTO Sport, TOTO Casino and Winnitt. Nederlandse Loterij’s mission is a happy, healthy and sporty Netherlands. Every day Nederlandse Loterij pays out prize money to players. And each year Nederlandse Loterij gives its proceeds to Dutch sport through NOC*NSF, to 18 good causes in the field of health, exercise and welfare and to Dutch society through the ministry of Finance.
The result
In collaboration with the customer, we helped them meet regulatory requirements by building an Azure Data Hub with streaming capabilities able to combine information from all data sources and send it within minutes in the correct format. Next to that, a fraud detection module was added which looks for unusual account behavior and helps prevent money laundering. With Eraneos’ help TOTO Sport & Casino, part of Nederlandse Loterij, was one of the first providers active on the online market when the new regulations came into effect.
Moreover, with the strong foundation that was established, thanks to the Data Hub which we built, the client is now able to support more advanced and diverse business use cases and accelerate their data strategy even more.
Let’s create sustainable change together.
