lower chamber of the Dutch parliament today passed a bill that is set to regulate online gambling in the country for the first time.

Passage through the Dutch Senate is expected to be a formality, and it is widely anticipated that a regulatory framework for online gambling will be in place in the country by early 2017.

Initially drawn up in 2013, the Dutch Remote Gambling Bill has faced numerous challenges in getting to this point, including a number of reviews and concerns relating to industry taxes, advertising standards, sporting integrity and the potential impact on land-based operators.

A series of amendments to the bill will see lotteries and land-based operators rendered unable to use their existing player databases to promote their online offerings, while land-based operators will be obligated to erect physical entry and player identification barriers.

In addition, licensed Dutch gambling operators will be required to contribute to a national problem gambling fund.

Jasper Hoekert, co-founder of Revenue Engineers, a full-service gaming consultancy based in the Netherlands, said: “We are absolutely delighted to see the Dutch Remote Gambling Bill finally pass through parliament.

“While there are still some aspects of the legislation which are not ideal, this is still a very workable framework and I am confident that the Netherlands will quickly emerge as one of Europe’s most important gaming jurisdictions.”