Remote Gambling Bill Finally Gets Dutch Senate’s Approval

The state Senate of the Netherlands recently held a meeting in which they voted on a Remote Gambling Bill. Finally, the bill got its approval…

…so it is expected that the online gambling licenses will start being issued somewhere during the middle of 2020.

Worth the Wait:

Even though the lower house of the Dutch Parliament actually approved this bill three and a half years ago, it was up to the Senate to decide and give its final word regarding the status of the bill.

Since the Senate has finally given its approval after postponing it various times, now the plan is to restructure the gambling market in the country. International online gambling operators will have the chance to submit their requests…

…and potentially acquire licenses to enter and operate in the newly-regulated Dutch market.

The state’s regulatory body, called Kansspelautoriteit, will be in charge of issuing those licenses.

Remote Gambling Bill Not Before 2021

But, even though the bill has been finally approved by the Senate, the analysts have said that the wagers shouldn’t expect the licensing process to begin before the middle of the next year.

The new regulatory organization will officially start on January 1, 2021, so the licenses will be granted a little before that.

Because of the 20% increase in gambling between 2016 and 2018 compared to the two prior years…

…the Netherlands became quite an attractive market for international gambling operators.

The state regulatory body, Kansspelautoriteit, has been trying for a really long time to curtail unregulated gambling in the Netherlands, but they didn’t have enough power needed in order to effectively monitor and manage the gambling.

They even tried to go after the companies that illegally targeted Dutch gamblers, but haven’t managed to collect fines they assessed.

International Operators Already Interested

Many international operators have already expressed their interest in operating the Dutch market. One of them is Betsson Group…

…and its CEO has already said that the company is really pleased with such a decision coming from the Dutch Senate.

“Finally, there will be modern gambling legislation in one more big monopolistic market in Europe… We welcome the regulation despite our concern about the so-called cooling off period which could harm channelization of local customers as well as be deemed as non-compliant with EU law,” Pontus Lindwall, the company’s CEO said in an official statement.

The Cooling off Period

As proposed by the Dutch Minister for Legal Protection, Sander Dekker, before officially putting the bill into action, there has to a “cooling off period.” By doing this…

…the state will prevent previously declared “illegal operators” from being able to ask for permission to grant a license in the next two years.

The Minister also added that he feels really happy and excited with the voting results and that the state finally has got the opportunity to offer a safe and secure gambling environment to Dutch wagers.

Source:

“Dutch Senate es remote gambling bill”, Erik Gibbs, calvinayre.com, February 20, 2019.