Dutch Government Soon To Legalize Online Casino
While the US continues to stay stuck with their outdated online gambling law, another country is moving ahead of the US within the industry. The Netherlands is moving towards a regulated online casino, proving again how regulations, and not prohibition, are the answer in the online gambling industry.
Online gambling in Holland has been getting some serious attention as speculation by the country’s media has begun to report on the issue of legalization. The Dutch newspaper Telegraaf reported that that the new government of Holland is looking at ending it’s monopoly on gambling there.
A recent inquiry introduced and organized by Dutch Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin into the positive and negative aspects of online gambling in Holland suggested that a limited number of licenses be issued to online poker sites to offer poker to the Dutch consumer.
In 2008 the Dutch government went so far as to prepare a blacklist of online casino sites, and demanded that banks in Holland refuse to do business with the companies. Top online casinos like Ladbrokes and Betfair have been working for years to gain the right to serve the Dutch jurisdiction. After a lengthy trial launched by Betfair the European Court of Justice, recently ruled that the Netherlands had every right to ban online casino.
The new right-wing coalition government in the Netherlands has expressed an interest in legalizing online casino in the European nation, where over 500,000 Dutch citizens are said to gambling online despite the practice being illegal.
The regulation follows a ruling by the European Court of Justice, which found that the Netherlands had been within its rights to ban online casino. However, the incoming government has said that they might be willing to issue a limited number of licenses to offer online poker – and possibly other gambling options – to Dutch consumers.
As has been the case for many other governments that have proposed loosening gambling laws as of late, the primary motivation may be financial in nature. A regulated online gambling market would help increase revenues for the Netherlands, with some sources in The Hague estimating the gains to be as much as €270 million.
After a comprehensive report that was organized by Dutch Hustice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin looked into the positive and negative effects of playing online casino, Dutch courts determined that online poker, at least, should be viewed as a game of skill. This has led some to believe that poker may prove to be the first game to be legalized for Dutch citizens.
The Holland Casino, the largest casino in the country, said that they would support such a move to regulate the online gambling industry, as it would “drive away illegal operators,” and allow legal ones to take their place. They and others have suggested that as long as safety precautions be put into place on any online casino, such as preset loss limits and counseling for gambling addicts, online gambling should be relatively safe.
Thus far, no actual legislative effort has been made towards getting a regulated gambling market put into place in the Netherlands. Should the government choose to move along with their plans, any legislation would have to pass both houses of the Dutch parliament before becoming law.
