Dutch regulator dismisses claims of impropriety

The Dutch Gaming Authority has defended its decision to open a pre-registration window for operators interested in the Netherlands’ soon-to-be regulated online gaming market as it was revealed the regulator had received 130 responses to date.

Last week opposition politicians in the country questioned whether the Kansspelautoriteit’s (KSA) request for interest was “improper to parliament” with the Dutch remote gambling bill yet to be passed.

But speaking to eGaming Review this morning, Jan Suyver, chairman at the KSA, said that the “informal” pre-registration process, which got underway on 1 December, was “in no way in anticipation of the bill” and reiterated that full applications would only be submitted after the bill had been adopted.

Secretary of state Fred Teeven is expected to reply to the questions raised in parliament in due course, however, Suyver said the KSA had also addressed the three opposition parties to explain the reasons for it launching the pre-registration process.

“I am confident that [these responses] will at least enhance their understanding and may even convince them,” Suyver said.

As well as the request for interest, the opposition parties also sought to clarify what basis KSA chief executive Marja Appelman had for expecting between 50 and 80 licence applications but speaking at this morning’s eGR Breakfast Briefing in Amsterdam Appelman said the regulator had so far received 130 expressions of interest from operators hopeful of obtaining a licence.

While the regulator had initially planned for the Dutch market to open early next year, delays to the process have pushed back a projected launch date to late 2015 or early 2016.