The Day: Opening of the Dutch Regulated Online Gambling Market

As of today, gambling in the Netherlands is legalised and regulated by virtue of the Remote Gambling Act. Originally, the Act was set to be enacted on the 1st of July 2020, however, it was officially enacted on the 1st of April 2020 allowing for market opening to take place today, six months thereafter.

Rene Janses, the chairman of the Dutch Regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) stated that, “Recent years have shown that simply banning online gambling was no longer possible. Legalisation and regulation make it easier to protect consumers against abuses.”

In pursuance of such legalisation, the KSA has issued 10 online gaming licences whereby licensees will be able to provide games of chance via the internet as of today. The KSA iterated that this is only the beginning as there are other applicants in the early stages of their application whilst others are yet to apply.
The Act does not only regularise the market but additionally modernises the market with updated responsible gaming regulations and advertising guidelines. It aims to prevent addiction, combat crime and illegal activity.

On the occasion of market opening, the Charmain went on to iterate that, 'The Gaming Authority's mission is to 'play safe', consumers who want to participate in games of chance must be able to do so in a safe environment. He must be assured of fair play. And the provider must pay sufficient attention to the prevention of gambling addiction. Today, an important step has been taken with the opening of the legal market for online games of chance.'

Are you looking to be licensed in the Netherlands? CSB can assist you with any of your licensing requirements in the Netherlands and in other jurisdictions. Through our network of professionals, we constantly monitor the regulatory landscape in Europe and can thus coordinate any required assistance in respect of your business in such other jurisdictions.

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