The lack of progress on approving the Dutch Remote Gambling Act is down to weak government and strong opposition to i-gaming, says Eric Olders, CEO at JVH Gaming.
The major Netherlands operator is seeking one of the licences that will be on offer when the Act becomes law. Olders feels it may yet be two years before operating begins in the Netherlands.
JVH is one of over 200 companies thought to be interested in the five-year licences. “This process had been like a slow boat to China, while the key elements of the discussion keep revolving,” said Olders, who will take part in an EiG discussion in Berlin entitled "Customer profiling and retention – what online can learn from retail/land-based and vice versa."
“We can truly ask ourselves whether - from the perspective of the content of the draft act - anything material has changed. I would say no. A lot of time has gone into the process and with a relatively large number of lobbying forces, progress has been hampered.
“We’re now talking 2017 and that’s if the political landscape remains relatively stable. However, that could change overnight in the Netherlands as coalitions simply have not been so stable in the last decade.”
Olders is looking to share ideas on the progress of egaming during the EiG Conference (October 20-22). His company runs the Jack’s Casino and Flash Casino brands of arcades across the Dutch industry.
