Netherlands regulated market unlikely to go live before H2 2018, says lawmaker

The Netherland’s regulated online gambling market is unlikely to go live before the second half of 2018, according to a key Dutch lawmaker.

Speaking at this week’s Gaming in Holland Conference, Dennis van Breeman, programme manager for gambling policy modernisation at the Ministry of Security and Justice, said the country’s Remote Gaming Bill was making “slow progress” thanks to a “complex political situation”

Van Breemen said he expects the Senate to discuss the bill in October, which would mean the Dutch online market could open in July 2018 at the very earliest.

However, he added: “This is a tight schedule, and I think reluctance is appropriate.”

The delay will be unwanted news for operators who are also grappling with the country’s recent crackdown on sites servicing Dutch customers.

Several smaller casino sites have been closed down, while EGR understands larger sites have been scrambling to find replacements for the popular iDEAL payment system which operators have been told they cannot use.

Also speaking at the GiH conference, Netherlands Gaming Authority CEO Marja Appelman said the stricter rules were a response to the “lack of trustworthiness and reliability” from operators who she said were still targeting Dutch consumers, “against the spirit” of the regulator’s enforcement policy.

However operators have yet to fully comply with the new rules, and industry representatives suggested a legal battle could be on the way.

Maarten Haijer, secretary general of the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA), claimed the new enforcement policy is not compliant with EU law.

“You cannot legally enforce a law that is not EU compliant,” Haijer said.

“There are obvious grounds for a legal challenge,” added gaming lawyer Justin Franssen.