Netherlands to review Remote Gambling Bill this year
The Dutch Parliament is considering reviewing new amendments to the Netherlands’ Remote Gambling Bill.
The Minister for Legal Protection of the Netherlands, Sander Dekker proposed a revised framework for remote licensing last June in an attempt to get the bill moving again.
The Dutch Remote Gambling Bill has now spent two years at a standstill with no progress being made on it, but has been given life again after Dekker’s put his proposals forward in a letter to Dutch Legislators.
In a controversial move, Dekker wants to open the doors for illegal gambling operators too and has called for operators that have been penalised in the past to be allowed to apply for remote licenses, if the bill is successful.
This is likely to anger many members of the Netherlands Tweede (House of Representatives) who have placed sanctions on unlicensed operators targeting Dutch consumers.
Sanctions included banning these operators from joining regulated online gambling market in the Netherlands.
While speaking at iGB Live! In Amsterdam, Joop Pot, a member of the Netherlands Gambling Authority said there will be a meeting between the Committee of Justice and Security on the 13 September to discuss Dekker’s proposals, and another meeting with industry stakeholders is currently in the works.
“We call on providers of gambling and games to participate in this meeting in September,” said Pot. “The best solution usually comes from a joint effort.”
Pot added that although Dekker’s proposal has the potential to get the bill before the upper house it is just as important to “introduce greater barriers between social gaming and gambling”.
Additionally, the Netherlands Gaming Authority had recently changed its name to the Netherlands Gambling Authority in an attempt to reflect their focus.
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