Optimism remains for Dutch egaming bill despite delay
Vote on Remote Gaming Bill by Dutch MPs now postponed until 19 February
A key vote on whether the Netherlands adopts its Remote Gaming Bill into law has been delayed, extending the three-year saga of egaming legalisation in the country by another week.
At a full parliamentary session yesterday afternoon, MPs debated the Remote Gaming Bill together with the Casino Privatisation Bill but were unable to move a conclusive parliamentary vote.
A plenary vote on the remote gaming bill will now be held on 19 February. In the wake of the adjournment, Gaming in Holland said: “Passage of the bill now appears quite certain.”
Questions had been raised by MPs over the make-up of the new legalised egaming market, in areas including the definitions of illegal operators, possible advertising restrictions and what methods might be used to exclude illegal operators from the Dutch market.
Central to the debate regarding illegal operators, was whether operators who had previously targeted the Dutch grey market would be allowed to apply for a licence under the new legislation. Echoing previous statements, Dekker said operators must prove they are “reliable” before they can be granted a new Dutch licence.
When pressed about what would be classed as an “unreliable” operator, Dekker confirmed the current KSA methods of sanctioning Dutch operators, known as the “prioritisation” criteria would be used to assess operator reliability.
Addressing the issue of how long unreliable operators would be excluded from the Dutch market, Minister Dekker voiced his support for a two-year “blackout” exclusion period, proposed by the Dutch labour party, dismissing proposals for a five-year exclusion period for illegal operators as “disproportionate and legally vulnerable.”
Dekker stopped short of supporting swingeing advertising restrictions for operators, saying that the bill contains provisions to enforce advertising curbs against unlicensed operators. He also said the KSA would receive powers to review all advertising being made by licensed operators under the new bill.
Finally, Minister Dekker dismissed the potential for ISP blocking of gambling sites in the Netherlands, saying that shutting down gambling payment services would prove more effective in fighting unlicensed gambling.
The Casino Privatisation Bill, which had been due to be voted on in the same debate was shelved, with Dutch Minister of Justice Sander Dekker confirming that the legislation would be reviewed, with a view to rekindling the proposals in the summer.