New online gambling act approved by Dutch senate

The Dutch took their time, but finally the new gambling act was approved by the Dutch senate today. This means that online gambling will be officially legalized in the Netherlands.

The dutch parties VVD, D66, PVV, PvdA and GroenLinks voted for the plan. This was enough for a majority in the senate. For those who think they can start gambling legally tomorrow: hold your horses / dice / chips, it will still take some time for the new act to be implemented. The Dutch Gaming Authority (KSA) says that it will take at least a year and a half before the first licenses are issued.

Because of the decision, providers of online games of chance are no longer dependent on the illegal circuit after years of discussion. Nearly eight years ago, then state secretary Teeven (Security and Justice) already proposed to allow gambling on the internet under supervision. That proposal was politically sensitive for a long time. Especially Christian parties saw no benefit in legalization, for fear of more gambling addicts.

Addiction risk

Many permit conditions will be worked out in the near future. It is clear, however, that providers must meet strict conditions in order to enter the legal online gambling market, as we see in other countries like the UK. For example, there must be close supervision of gamblers, to reduce the risk of addiction to a minimum. Providers who have been targeting the Dutch market without a permit in the past two years, are not entitled to a license.

The assenting parties are satisfied that the ancient Betting and Gaming Act (Wok) will finally be changed. In the Netherlands, the number of online gamblers is increasing rapidly. According to recent research on behalf of Holland Casino, some 1.8 million Dutch people play games of chance on the internet. Two thirds of the frequent players prefer to play with a legal provider. All reasons for not allowing participants to play with illegal providers without supervision are the reasoning of a majority of the senate.

At Casinokings we will keep a close eye on what online casinos will get a permit and of course we will list these online casinos on this site but only if we find them trustworthy by our standards.