Netherlands begins igaming licensing process
After much delay, the Netherlands has begun taking licence applications for online gaming.
The Netherlands.- After many months of delay and a last-minute technical hitch, the Dutch national gaming regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has launched the country’s igaming licensing process.
The launch marks the implementation of the Dutch Remote Gaming Act, which was due to be introduced in July last year but was delayed three times.
KSA has now begun to process licence applications from operators. The market is due to go live on October 1.
See also: Dutch gaming regulator unveils “licensing trademark”
A technical glitch on the online application portal caused a last-minute delay on the day of opening on April 1, but the portal was functioning correctly by the end of the day.
In March, the KSA said it expected to receive 40 applications for igaming licences and to grant around 35.
KSA chairman René Jansen said in an interview with Focus Gaming News that the KSA expects the market to be generating €800m per year by 2024.
However, a survey published by the Netherlands Online Gaming Association (NOGA) has found little interest in igaming among Dutch consumers.
Dutch igaming licence requirements
The KSA has clarified its requirements for the auditing of licence applicants. It said it would accept either an assurance report or a report of factual findings prepared by an auditor to confirm the applicant is not in bankruptcy and has complied with rules on the guarantee of player credit.
Speaking on the launch of the licensing process, Jansen reminded operators that the regulator’s standards would be high.
He said: “At times like this, in the midst of all the hustle and bustle, it is good to take a moment to reflect on what it was all about. In the legalisation and regulation of online gaming, the essential policy goal is to ‘channel’ consumers from illegal to legal providers.
“The legal online market will open on October 1 for companies that manage to obtain a license, but I can assure you: you don’t get one just like that.”
