The Netherlands’ new coalition government intends to revise the country’s outdated online gambling laws and sell off the state-run Holland Casino.
The draft coalition agreement issued earlier this week said: “We will modernise gambling policy. Online gambling, sports betting and poker events will be strictly regulated. Thereby we will reduce the illegal offer of gambling. Compliance with the licensing conditions will be strictly monitored.”
Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s government will sell off Holland Casino, which currently holds a legal monopoly in the Netherlands. The operator runs 14 casinos around the country, with any profit going directly to the Dutch treasury.
The move follows years of speculation that Holland Casino would be sold and the gambling market opened up. In February, the Dutch Supreme Court ordered international online gambling operators to install software that would prohibit Dutch citizens from accessing the sites. The ruling saw around 20 companies, including Unibet and bwin, withdraw from the Netherlands market.
The government will begin working on the draft online gambling legislation in the coming weeks. It is likely that those companies which did not cease operating when required to will be excluded from the regulated market.
