Dutch online gambling law expected in early 2019

Kesler was one of the many industry representatives to attend the Integrity in "Sports Betting: What’s at Stake?” conference, which was organized by ESSA and took place this week (on October 12) at Lord’s Cricket Ground, London. ESSA is known to be a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the integrity of international sports.

Kansspelautoriteit’s Vice President revealed that the Netherlands’ new gambling law will be ready for January 1, 2019 implementation, signaling that discussions over the new regulatory regime are expected to begin shortly.

Generally speaking, the new law will allow interested international operators to apply for a license from the country’s gambling regulatory body and to operate in a regulated environment. An online gaming bill was approved in the Dutch Lower House last summer but progress on the legislative piece stalled afterwards. The bill now needs a positive vote from the Dutch Senate in order to be signed into law.

This year’s Dutch general election further delayed any talks on the future of the nation’s gambling industry. Dutch voters cast their ballots on March 15, but it took record 208 days of negotiations before officials formed a government. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Mark Rutte presented a four-party coalition, which will be tasked with governing the nation over the next several years.

Source: GMB / Casino News Daily