The legalisation of online gambling in the Netherlands has been a long time coming – and has suffered repeated hiccups.

Initially, online gambling in the Netherlands was scheduled to launch on January 1, 2020. Then in November 2019, the Netherlands gaming authority Kansspelautoriteit announced that the launch date had been pushed back. Netherlands Minister of Justice and Security Sander Dekkar informed the lower house of parliament that government needed more time to craft secondary gambling legislation.

Recently, another delay was announced, due to complications and delays in preparations arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first week of September, Minister Dekker warned of further delays – he sent a letter to the Dutch parliament’s lower house explaining that the Remote Gambling Act is now expected to take effect on March 1, 2021. This means that the market is now expected to be open for business on September 1. 

In his letter, Dekker said that this delay created more space for all parties concerned to prepare for the regulatory shift to a competitive online gambling market. Such preparations include the operators ensuring that their systems can connect to the CRUKS centralised register of gamblers who want to self-exclude from licensed websites. Online licence applicants also need to create a policy on addiction prevention, and to clean the customer databases built during unauthorised, pre-regulation activity. 

The future of online casinos in the Netherlands

The new regulations also restrict bonuses while operators will not be able to advertise gambling-related services between 6am and 9pm. This also applies to pay n’ play casinos, such as Snelle casinos, which are those casinos that are Trustly’s pay n’ play solutions. The latter are fast gaining in popularity, due to their safe yet efficient registration and payment processes. 

Online casinos need to follow strictly the new marketing guidelines to ensure they can keep their gaming licence and provide services to consumers.

The KSA itself went through a period of preparation – in fact, it also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Malta Gaming Authority to enable the two regulators to work more closely together towards greater stability in the gaming industry and stricter oversight of online gambling operations. 

Disclaimer: Play responsibly. Players must be over 18. For help visit https://www.gamcare.org.uk/ 

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