Dutch lawmakers pass bill to restructure online gambling market

After nearly three and a half years of deliberation and discussion, the Dutch Senate has approved a new bill that will radically restructure the country’s online gambling market. Under the terms of the new deal, international gambling operators will have access to Dutch players via an as-yet-to-be-determined licensing system.
According to a report on CalvinAyre.com, the Kansspelautoriteir – the Dutch regulatory body whose purview includes gambling – will oversee the licensing process. This process is expected to begin sometime in 2021 and will actually be undertaken by a new regulatory body that is specifically focused on online gambling.
Online gambling is currently very popular in Holland and international gambling operators are practically salivating at the chance to open new markets there. That’s no wonder given the fact that the Dutch increased their online gambling activity by a whopping 20 percent in the two years between 2016 and 2018.
Once the Dutch market is completely opened, operators can expect it to be run in a fairly tight manner. Standard practices, such as maintaining a list of self-excluded players, are expected to be part of the Dutch regulatory scheme.
All of that is just fine with operators such as Bettson, who are eager to break into this previously untapped wealth of players. Bettson Group CEO Pontus Lindwall gave a statement to the media expressing his excitement saying, “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.”
Expect other online gambling operators to dive into the Dutch market with a similar degree of enthusiasm.