Online Gambling Providers Clamoring to Enter Netherlands Market
Given the success of online gambling in the UK and Spain, it should not come as a surprise that The Netherlands is proving to be fertile ground for the online gambling industry. Like most conservative nations, the Netherlands government has been keeping a close watch on what’s taking place in the region’s online gambling community. With everything seemingly going well, it looks like the Kansspelautoriteit, the Netherlands’ gambling authority, is prepared to open the door a little wider for online gambling operators.
In an effort to pull in a wide variety of well-intended online casino operators, the Kansspelautoriteit recently extended an invitation to interested operators to register with the local the government regarding its desire to obtain licensing to provide online gambling services to the Dutch population. The registration period opened June 5, 2019 and is expected to continue until June 21, barring an extension. During this time, a gambling operator like Gclub Online only has to request consideration for the appropriate licensing.
This move comes on the heels of the Dutch House finally stepping forward to approve a regulatory legislative bill referred to as the Remote Gambling Bill. The bill was first introduced in the summer of 2016, spending the next two and a half years under consideration until the Senate finally passed it in February of this year. The bill essentially paves the way for foreign gambling interests to operate in a regulated environment as set forth by the House to be regulated by the Kansspelautoriteit.
The response to the open call has been tremendous with as many as 79 different operators already registering for consideration. With the new Remote Gambling law set to take hold in 2020, regulators are now charged with going to interested parties for licensing applications. The “pre-registration” period was designed to give regulators a bettor idea of how big the market could possibly be. They intend to use the knowledge they are obtaining through the process to assure the actual registration process goes as smoothly as possible.
Moving forward, there are still a couple of hurdles that need to be cleared. The new law is currently under review by the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security. While it is expected there will be no issues, nothing is going to move forward until the review has been completed. The bill is expected to become law by July 1, 2020.
At that point, the Kansspelautoriteit should be able to move forward with the vetting and licensing processes. For the fortunate operators that will be granted the appropriate licensing, it is widely expected their online gambling sites could be approved to go live by January 1, 2021.
After completing the licensing process, regulators anticipate putting in place stringent guidelines to assure the country doesn’t walk into the heart of a problem gambling issue. Online operators are expected to abide by very strict advertising guidelines and avoid any predatory practices. There is also a call for all operators to make sure they have procedures in place to make sure problem gamblers have the necessary resources to address their issues.
