Ten companies will be permitted to begin operations in the Netherlands’ legal online gambling market from 1 October 2021, including two government-backed firms; TOTO Online, owned by the Nederlandse Loterij, and the state-run Holland Casino.

They will also be joined by the Dutch Janshen-Hahnraths Group, operating under its FPO Nederland brand, Betent, the Belgium-based Bingoal Nederland, Hillside, LiveScore Malta, NSUS Malta, Play North and Tombola, the UK’s largest provider of online bingo games.

However, there are several notable absences from this list, primarily JVH gaming, Novamedia and ZETurf.

This news did not come as a surprise to most as it follows an announcement from the regulator’s Chairman, René Jansen, during an appearance on the current affairs TV program Nieuwsuur on 27 September.

While discussing the country’s expanding online gambling space, he disclosed that ten licence applications had been granted, with their owners to be revealed later in the week.

Out of 30 applications, these ten are so far the only to have been approved, with the remaining two-thirds facing rejection for failing to meet the regulator’s stringent requirements.

According to the law, companies offering online gambling services must monitor players’ behaviour and move to prevent problem gaming.

“High requirements are imposed on a licence, including in the field of addiction prevention and consumer protection, and the KSA tests rigorously,” commented the Chairman.

However, Jansen did anticipate the addition of more licensees in the short term, providing a prospective date of July 2022 earlier this week for when he expects a more complete picture of online gambling in the Netherlands.