The Dutch gaming authority, Kansspelautoriteit, has confirmed the first ten entrants that will be permitted to operate upon the long awaited opening of the country’s legalised online gambling market from midnight on Friday 1 October.
This has seen the Toto Online brand of Nederlandse Loterij; Dutch arcade group FPO Netherlands; Holland Casino; and NSUS Malta, which counts GGPoker as part of its stable; all gain approvals.
Further entrants include Estonia’s Play North, operator of the Rocket Casino and Pikakasino brands, bingo operator Tombola, bet365; Belgian brand Bingoal, Italy’s Betent; and LiveScore Malta.
Following this issuance, Holland Casino has spoken of a desire to offer Dutch consumers a complete, safe and responsible range of games.
Erwin van Lambaart, chair of Holland Casino, explained: “Holland Casino was established so that the Dutch can enjoy the thrill of games of chance in a responsible environment.
“I see it as our responsibility to make that possible online. Our range of games is great and our digital environment looks fantastic – and for good reason.
“Because if we want to offer the Dutch a good and responsible alternative, we must first make sure that they want to come and play with us.’
The regulator has also updated that it will imminently publish a ‘Gaming Guide,’ which is intended to allow players to check whether a provider has a license to offer games of chance in the country, and with which websites or apps.
Furthermore, the gaming authority has also urged individuals who want to gamble to do so through licensed providers, which will be recognisable by a logo at the bottom of the website or app.
Upon launch of the country’s digital ecosystem, there will be a legal requirement for all Ksa licensed online gambling operators to centralise their player databases with the CRUKS self-exclusion system.
“The online provider checks the player on the basis of gaming behaviour,” the Ksa updates. “In the player account, the player indicates, among other things, how much money he wants and can lose, how long he wants to play and how often.
“If the gaming behavior deviates from this, the provider is obliged to inform the player. He can do this by having pop-ups or warning texts appear on the screen. Online it is quite possible for games of chance providers to keep an eye on the behavior of players.”
Earlier this year, the Ksa announced that 29 applications had been submitted, with René Jansen, chair of the Ksa, earlier this week elaborating on the reasons for only one in three applications being granted thus far.
“High requirements are imposed on a license, including in the field of addiction prevention and consumer protection, and the Ksa tests rigorously,” he said.
Adding: “However, a certain degree of nuance would be appropriate here. I would like to point out that this is only the beginning of the legalisation and regulation of the online market. We are moving into a phased opening of the market.
“Applications are still pending and we expect to receive a significant number of new applications by April 2022. There will be operators who postponed submitting their applications in connection with the so-called ‘cooling off’ period as a result of the Postema Parliamentary motion.
“And there probably are operators who waited with submitting an application for the simple reason that they were not yet ready to do so.”
