Netherlands to regulate egaming
The Dutch government is planning to license and regulate all forms of egaming, according to a report in the country's media this morning.
The Dutch government is planning to license and regulate all forms of egaming on a non-exclusive basis, according to media reports in the country this morning.
Newspaper De Telegraaf, crediting “sources in The Hague”, reported on its front page today that the Dutch government is planning to sell licences or establish a competitive tender process. “Total revenues of this [plan] are estimated at 100m, but that could increase up to 270m per year,” said the paper.
This follows the recommendation last month of the Dutch Ministry of Justice that poker should be legalised in Holland under a non-exclusive licensing system. However, today’s report suggests the Dutch government has now decided to regulate and tax all forms of egaming based on the Italian and French licensing model.
With the exception of sports betting offered by state lottery and betting monopoly De Lotto, all forms of online gambling are currently illegal in the Netherlands.
Despite losing a five-year court battle against De Lotto with Ladbrokes in June, Betfair recently confirmed to eGR that it plans to re-apply for a licence in the Netherlands “at the first opportunity”.
This followed the ECJ upholding its view that sports betting licences in the EU should be allocated in a transparent and equal manner, to allow Dutch consumers to benefit from competitive bids for the Dutch market.