The Remote Gambling Act came to force in the Netherlands and allows online casinos to operate in the Dutch jurisdiction. The opening of the iGambling market provides international and national operators large business opportunities. Gambling operators have to comply with regulations and requirements to be eligible to obtain a license and provide their services for the Dutch public.
The Remote Gambling Act will come into force in the second half of 2021; however, due to the pandemic, the time and execution may experience some changes. The new legislation allows online casinos to function in the Netherlands and offers business opportunities for ventures like casinos, lotteries, and broadcasters.
The Betting and Gaming Act regulates gambling in the Netherlands at present. Casinos can function only if they have a license from the Dutch Gambling Authority. The Remote Gambling Act offers operators the possibility to apply for a license if they want to enter the new regulated online gambling market.
The Remote Gambling Act aims to create a safe environment for gamblers that prevents crimes and protects their personal information. The Dutch government hopes that over 80% of gamblers will choose to participate in gaming activities with an operator with a Dutch license by regulating online gambling.
To reach this purpose, it has to grant licenses only to reliable operators that care about their client’s safety.
A general view of the Dutch gambling market
The legal framework of the Dutch online market will include the Ministerial Decree Remote Gambling, the Decree Remote Gambling, the RGA, and the BGA. The BGA provides the definition the Dutch authorities use to refer to games of chance. For a game to be qualified as a gambling activity, the participants should be able to compete for a premium or prize, and the winners should be designated through a means which they cannot influence.
The RGA states that casino operators can apply for a license if they offer one of the next types of online gambling
- Hard trotting and horse racing
- Sports betting
- Casino games that allow people to play against each other
- Casino games where people can play against the license holder
Once casino operators get their licenses to provide services in the online Dutch gambling market, you can access their website and play a game of your choice. However, if this is the first time you play games of chance, know your limits with playing online casino because you can quickly lose all your money if you lack experience and skill.
The Dutch authorities will provide licenses only to reliable casino operators
For the Dutch authorities to offer a license to a gambling provider, their reliability has to be beyond any doubt because their primary purpose is to protect the players from the Netherlands. This means that they will check the reliability of all employees and related parties like affiliated companies, financiers, and IT infrastructure providers. The Dutch Gambling Authority will assess the applicants’ reliability together with other criteria for a period of 2 and a half years before the date at which they file the application.
This can only be good news for you as a player because you’re sure that your finances are safe and play with a gambling operator who respects your security and privacy. With so many websites providing so many games and investment opportunities in what will you invest?
Will you stick with the traditional casino table games? Will you try to get the jackpot at slots? Do you want to try your luck at sports betting? We recommend practicing responsible gambling because even if the authorities do their best to provide you with a safe environment, the risk of losing money is still high when you don’t know the game’s rules or gamble without a strategy.
The license holders will provide policies that guarantee that underage and vulnerable individuals are protected from the risk of online casino games.
The legislator also focuses its efforts on creating a safe environment that prevents criminality. This means that license holders need to demonstrate their compliance with the Act on prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing and the Sanctions Act. This means that they need to prove they invest in risk management, client investigation, training, identification of unusual transactions, and other similar processes that can impact gambling security.
Factors that guarantee the iGambling’s success in the Netherlands
Compliance
The Netherlands has created complex legislation and regulatory framework that ensure only reliably casino operators function. The gambling authority developed a set of operational and technical requirements the iGaming operator must meet and a model of IT infrastructure their website must follow. When applying for a license, casinos have to identify the data and housing vault providers they work with to prove their compliance with the Dutch regulations. Transparency across operations and ecosystem is crucial.
User experience
In the online casino industry, technical requirements are influenced by the user experience demands of the public. Gamblers expect to use visually attractive apps that are user-friendly and run seamlessly on all devices. They also want all interactions and transactions with the casino to be secure, private, and fast.
Machine learning and artificial intelligence
Casinos are experimenting with technology to find new ways to improve user experience and better serve ads to prospects through customization. Machine learning and artificial intelligence can help them prevent gambling addiction because they identify troubling patterns in players’ behavior. The gambling ventures that want to succeed in the Dutch market need to use technologies that support the regulation’s technical requirements.
Cloud
The iGaming industry is a leader in the adoption of cloud technology because game developers and casino operators use it for better scalability. Some casino operators function in a hybrid multi-cloud environment with an IT infrastructure that consists of integrated software and services.
The Dutch online gambling market is expected to become the biggest in Europe once the local authorities provide enough licenses to operators willing to respect the legal framework.