The bill proposes that Holland Casino’s fourteen individual branches will be split up: ten of these – as of yet, it is unclear which ones – will remain part of Holland Casino. Four will be sold separately, while an additional two land-based casino licenses will be newly created.
Amendments
Apart from
the bill itself, four amendments to the bill passed as well:
#12: The
bill and its consequences will be evaluated after five years, instead of the
originally proposed seven.
#13: The
private party who will acquire the ten branches – and accompanying licenses –
of Holland Casino will be not allowed to acquire any of the other six licenses.
#14: During
the transitional period when Holland Casino will be split up and sold, the
District Court of The Hague will handle all preliminary relief procedures.
#32: Future licensees can be obligated to continue to employ all current employees.
By and
large, the adoption of this bill is a significant victory for the
liberalization of gambling in the Netherlands. However, the bill must still
pass the Senate, which will almost certainly not happen before the Lower House
elections of March 2017. It is thus not entirely unthinkable – depending on the
next government – that further consideration of the bill will delayed or even indefinitely
postponed.
Source: GMB / Gaming in Holland
