Dutch Online Gambling Could Be Legalized Soon

Operators could start white label casinos in the Netherlands in 2015

Entrepreneurs who are looking to open a white label casino in the Netherlands could start running such business next year. Regulators have already passed the bill forward the Council of State, after it has been approved by the Council of Ministers. At this point in time, the principles stated in the bill are analyzed by the Council of State. If these principles are approved, the bill will have to pass through the Lower House of Parliament, and only after that to the Dutch Senate.

The proposed bill, called the Dutch Remote Gambling Act, is 171 pages long and was brought forward to the European Commission. The act contains several principles that mainly refer to consumer protection, prevention of problem gambling and money laundering or other illegal matters. The local internet gaming regulator, Kansspelautoriteit, will be the one that will be responsible with the licensing process once the bill is approved.

Operators who want to open white label casinos in the Netherlands will have to comply with a set of requirements. For example, the online casino company will be required to have legal personality, and must also be registered in a European Union Member State. A license fee and gaming tax will be required, but the value of these taxes was not set yet. When it comes to prevention of gambling addiction, operators will be required to identify their clients, and observe their online gaming behavior. If players show signs of problem gambling, operators will have to report those players to a gaming authority, so that they would get excluded from participating in gambling activities.

Gaming insiders claim that operators who will open white label casinos in the Netherlands will be tapping into a new, promising market that could be extremely profitable. Statistics show that more than 88 percent of the Dutch population accessed internet sites in 2010. With a population of 16.7 million, the Netherlands could support an online gambling market that would reach Euro 379 million during the first year of legalization.