Dutch government launches Remote Gaming Bill consultation
Stakeholders now have two months to respond before bill goes to Senate
The Dutch government has launched a two-month public consultation into the long-delayed Remote Gaming Bill, marking the next stage in the process before a full parliamentary debate.
In the consultation document, Dutch authorities state the aim of the bill is “to establish a responsible, reliable and controllable range of remote games of chance that meet the existing and future demand for online gambling and that offers the player a high level of protection.”
Consultation responses are being solicited from potential licensees, industry stakeholders, sporting organisations and institutions working in problem gambling and social responsibility.
Once the process is completed, the Dutch government will make any bill amendments in any areas highlighted by the consultation before the final bill is voted on by the Dutch Senate, only then will it be passed into law.
The bill successfully passed through the Dutch House of Representatives in July 2016 before being passed on for review by the Senate.
However, since then there has been no consensus over the so-called physical presence clause, which states: “When granting remote gaming licenses, one license condition shall be that the operator will be in some way established in the Netherlands.”
At the time no mention was made as to what this requirement meant and failures to agree on specifics and subsequent elections of both houses in 2017 pushed the passage of the Remote Gaming Bill back even further, with Dutch Gambling Authority vice-chair Henk Kessler stating in October 2017 his belief that the bill would become law in January 2019.
In June, Dutch Minister for Justice and Security, Sander Dekker, announced a cross-party agreement which confirmed the dismissal of the physical presence clause.
This was replaced instead with a requirement that operators based in the EU, but not in Holland, appoint a local representative responsible for the prevention of gambling addiction. Firms without an EU presence will still be required to setup a local branch in the Netherlands.
In an exclusive interview with EGR, Dutch Gambling Authority chair Jan Suyver called for the Dutch government to kickstart the process of egaming legalisation saying: “for the last six years, I have stated again and again that the DGA needs the new law urgently to combat the issue of illegal online gambling. I am convinced gambling players can only be protected by regulating the market.”
Operators are keen for the market to establish a new regulatory framework as a number of firms, including Betsson and Mr Green parent company MRG, are being investigated by the KSA and subsequently fined for not meeting currently stringent restrictions.