Dutch regulated market launch suffers two-month setback

Dutch legislators have delayed the launch of the country’s regulated online gambling market by a further two months as operators scramble to get their finances in order amid Covid-19.

The country’s Remote Gaming Act was scheduled to come into force on January 2021, but this has now been pushed back to March 2021 by Dutch Minister for Legal Protection Sander Dekker.

The postponement – first mooted in June – was signed off by Dekker on 4 September after in-depth discussions with the Dutch Gaming Authority (KSA), the ministry of health, addiction care specialists and existing land-based operators including Holland Casino.

During these discussions, it became clear that Covid-19 had wreaked havoc with many market stakeholders. Aside from the obvious financial impact of the pandemic, several parties requested extra time to get to grips with self-exclusion scheme CRUKS, suggesting communication with the KSA had dwindled during the disrupted period.

Prospective international online operators must now wait to apply for a remote gaming licence from March 2021, while the market will officially go live six months later in September.

In his letter to the Dutch cabinet, Dekker suggested that some operators were ready for the initial January 2021 launch and were keen to enter the market as soon as possible.

He added: “Other parties indicate that they need some postponement, partly because of the financial and business impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The financial impact of Covid-19 has limited the investment space of companies, and a lot of management attention is needed to put the company back in order.

“This complicates preparations and it was also mentioned that Dutch land-based providers are lagging behind due to the corona measures.

“These parties fear that a rapid market opening will not provide a sufficient level playing field.”