First, Jansen spoke of the initial stages of legalisation in the country, commenting on how divisive the decision was to approve online gambling – while also citing public desire for the practice.
“As is known, it took the Netherlands a long time to legalise online gambling; political views on this were and are divided. Ultimately, a political majority was in favour of creating a safe environment for those people who gamble over the internet. Hundreds of thousands of Dutch people already did that before 1 October 2021, even if it was illegal.”
Meanwhile, Jansen also spoke of the future and the discussion around online gambling, aiming for the ideal of a completely safe gambling environment: “I very much welcome the diverse perspectives from which the results are looked at.
"It helps to have the right and penetrating conversation and to walk the right paths that ultimately lead to an – ideally – completely safe online gambling environment, which intervenes in time if people lose control.”
The desire in the Netherlands to create a safe space for players to gamble online is the driving factor behind his thinking, and Jansen is keen to rid the country of illegal operators, too, saying: “Step by step, we are getting even closer to the desired ultimate goal: a completely safe environment for people who want to gamble online, without any place for illegal providers.”
However, Jansen knows the importance of not pushing the market too hard too fast, leading to rash decisions. Instead, he encouraged patience, stating: “It is important to make the right adjustments on the basis of the observed facts, whereby the right balance must always be sought.”
