Netherlands Internet Sports Betting Legalization On Pause

Online gambling for both casino and sports betting in the Netherlands has been delayed because more amendments are now being requested.
With the Coronavirus pandemic closing local gambling establishments, internet gaming has spiked in the country, spotlighting the need for legal countrywide online operations.

NEW YORK – The Minister of Justice and Security of the Netherlands, Sander Dekker, has announced a delay to the legalization of online gambling which includes sports betting for the country.

The government has decided that the Remote Betting and Gaming Act would need secondary amendments before it could be fully enacted. These amendments will allow the gaming act to be enforced starting in January 2021.

Internet Gaming In The Netherlands

Once the Remote Betting and Gaming Act becomes fully functional in January 2021, potential online legal sports betting and gambling operators can begin applying for licenses. The licensing process will take six months from application to approval, meaning that the Netherlands will not see legal online gambling until at least July 2021.

Part of the amendments to the current draft will require more marketing protections. These will include specific times for advertisements as well as a lack of celebrity endorsement usage. This is to protect the younger audiences from wanting to engage in gambling on the internet.

There will also be more rules and regulations regarding gaming addiction options for citizens that may be at risk.

“We see that society is digitising even further and that more than half a million Dutch citizens are currently playing online games of chance without protection. This entails major risks of gambling addiction and fraud. I’m happy that we will be able to ensure that what is on offer is safe, so online games of chance can be played responsibly,” said Minister Sander Dekker.

Current Status In The Netherlands

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, legal brick and mortar gambling establishments have had to shut down. This has led to an increase in internet sports betting and offshore gaming site use by the Dutch people which is money that could have been made for the Netherlands if there were more regulated options for the country.

However, the delay has to do with the strict amendments that are going to be written up about age and marketing are because of the experiences the country has had with their lottery.

The lottery in the Netherlands allows for TOTO, a legal internet sports betting platform that has had the monopoly on the Dutch market. Plenty of underage sports betting has happened with the use of TOTO because of their lax requirements in setting up an account.

If there are going to be multiple, individual operators in the country, the government wants to be sure that they are creating strict rules so that things like this won’t happen.

After the new gaming act is written up and people begin to apply for licenses, the Dutch government believes they will see upwards of 100 applicants. If all are approved, that’s over a hundred possible online gambling platforms for both casino and sports betting endeavors.

The Netherlands could be flooded with country-sanctioned internet gaming by July 2021 should no further delays take place. They’d join the ranks of many other countries with online sports betting.

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Christina Monroe

Christina has been writing for as long as she can remember and does dedicated research on the newly regulated sports betting market. She comes from a family of sports lovers that engage in friendly bets from time to time. During the winter months, you can find Christina baking cookies and beating the entire staff at Mario Kart…the N64 version of course.