Gaming websites told to block Dutch gamblers
Supreme Court rules that De Lotto monopoly does not breach EU rules.
Egaming operators have been instructed to install monitoring software to ensure Dutch gamblers cannot access their online and telephone gambling services, following a Supreme Court ruling handed down on Friday.
In a case brought by state-owned De Lotto against British betting company Ladbrokes, the Dutch Supreme Court ruled that the ban on international gambling firms operating in The Netherlands did not breach EU free trade agreements.
De Lotto, currently the only company in The Netherlands with a license to run lotteries and games of chance in which the participants pick their own numbers, had claimed the online and telephone services of the likes of Ladbrokes and Betfair was unfair competition.
The ruling also indicated that banks and credit card companies which process payments relating to online gambling could also face prosecution.
The decision is the latest development in the ongoing dispute between gambling operators and the Dutch government. Last year the government announced it intended to regulate its online gaming industry, overturning legislation which made all online gambling – with the exception of the state lottery – illegal. However it has yet to issue any licenses.