Although the Dutch Remote Gambling act has officially come into effect on April 1, 2021, players will notice the big difference six months later. After this half year of preparations, online casinos can welcome players to their lobbies. Many Dutch players have been eagerly anticipating this moment, as this activity attracts over half a million Dutch players.
History of online gambling in The Netherlands
In the years leading up to the new legislation of the Remote Gambling Act, much has changed in the landscape for Dutch casino players. Gambling in the Netherlands had been restricted to State-owned monopoly partners since 1969. Naturally, online casinos were not accounted for, and the rise of online casinos created a ‘Wild West’ situation with many Dutch online casinos providing their services alongside foreign casinos.
After the expected legislative changes kept getting delayed, the Dutch gaming authorities, the KSA, started cracking down on illegal online casinos. An attempt to enforce geo-blocking stranded in court, but instead the KSA fined websites that explicitly appealed to Dutch players (in language, payment methods, and symbols).
Future of online gambling in The Netherlands
In spite of these restrictive measures, the Dutch online gambling space has been growing steadily. If you live in the Netherlands and want to gamble yourself, we advise you to read the casino reviews first on casinoreviews.nl. Players are willing to give up the convenience of regular payment methods and Dutch language support for the chance to play their favorite slots - not to mention resorting to illegal avenues. With the official opening of the Dutch market, players now have a tremendously lower threshold to start playing online.
This means that Dutch players are warmed up to the idea of online gambling, and neither casinos nor players no longer have to restrain. Moreover, developers can appeal to the specific tastes of Dutch players. Lastly, a whole slew of options suddenly becomes available to players: live betting, live casino games, and bonuses were all banned under the old rules.
Although it’s not entirely clear how many casinos have applied for a Dutch remote gambling licence, most brick and mortar casinos and gambling halls have announced their entry. This entry will not only give players access to online versions of their favorite slots, but also add a number of sports betting websites - which were previously limited to two parties: soccer-oriented TOTO and Runnerz, a smaller website focused on horse racing.
Disclaimer: Play responsibly. Players must be over 18. For help visit https://www.gamcare.org.uk.