A general introduction to gambling law in Netherlands
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Amendments to the Betting and Gaming Act will allow remote gambling licences. Two types of licence will be awarded: sports betting and casino gaming. Poker, casino games, slot machines, sports bets, exchange betting, pari-mutuel betting will all be permitted. Online lotteries, spread betting or betting on non-sports events will remain prohibited. Offering bets on virtual sports, fantasy sports and e-sport will in principle be allowed. There will not be a cap on the number of remote gaming licences available. The use of monopolies per type has been implemented to reduce competition between operators.
The Gambling Authority's new approach to gambling law in Netherlands applies from 1 June 2017. The new criteria for enforcement are as follows: offer games of chance on a website in the Dutch language, use radio, television or print media advertising targeted at the Netherlands, a domain name that refers to the gambling and is associated with the country, presence of symbols associated to Netherlands and absence of geo-blocking measures. Operators must verify the age of Dutch players before the registration process is completed. The requirement has the potential to be problematic given that regulatory regimes do not require operators to immediately verify a player's age.
Gambling law in Netherlands allows games of chance on a website ending with a .nl URL and radio, television or print media advertising targeted at the Netherlands.
Dutch law allows a range of gambling products to be offered pursuant to the Act introduced in 1964. It is prohibited to offer unlicensed games of chance in the Netherlands. The prohibition on promoting un licensed games will be expanded by the Remote Gaming Act. The case of Sporting Exchange has been influential in shaping discourse in Netherlands and it has established that the prohibition does not include payment services. There are several forms of betting that are exempt from the requirement to have a licence. They include promotional games and small-scale gambling. In January 2019, a court confirmed that it includes activities typically undertaken by affiliates.
