Dutch online gambling market could open in 2021

The chairman of the Dutch gambling regulator said that they’re aiming to open the online gambling market by January 1, 2021.

Netherlands.- The gambling authority from the Netherlands, Kansspelautoriteit, said that its aim is for the Remote Gambling Act to come into force by July 1, 2020. This would leave the door open for online gambling to open in the Dutch market on January 1, 2021.

If the Netherlands manages to process permit applications from July 1, 2020, there is a big chance that the online gambling market can be fully operational by the first day of 2021, René Jansen, chairman of the regulator said.

Jansen discussed during the annual conference of the gambling industry in the Netherlands that managing the licensing process in the context of the upcoming Remote Gambling Act will be a top priority in the next two years.

Current regulations, adapted on February 19, 2019, establish that it is not possible to apply for a licence to offer online games of chance, though online gambling is legalised. The new law is set to change this. The Ministry of Justice and Security is currently drafting the law into so-called lower regulations. When that process is finalised, the gambling regulator can start setting permit conditions.

“Such an operation demands a lot from an organisation with the size of the Kansspelautoriteit,” said the chairman René Jansen. “But we do everything in our power to get this done. If we don’t make it through the permanent staff, we hire external staff.”

René Jansen added: ‘It is important for the Kansspelautoriteit to know how many permit applications we can expect in the future. This allows us to properly organize the organization. We have an interest in that, but that also applies to companies that are going to apply for a permit.”