Posted: Jul 22, 2019 10:41 am
From here :
The History of Betting in the Netherlands
Gambling has been intertwined in Dutch culture for centuries. As far back as the 18th Century, there is evidence of organised betting. The Nederlandse Staatsloterij (national state lottery) was first established in 1726, making it the oldest running state lottery in the world.
By the early 1900’s, there was a complete ban on sports betting and all other gaming activity, apart from the state lottery. This was in place until 1961 when sports betting in the Netherlands was legalised as a second state monopoly.
Gradually the government relaxed their stance on gambling and introduced new laws which allowed horse racing betting through a totalizer system. Furthermore, lottery and casino games were legalised, albeit through a monopoly and by the mid 1970’s, the citizens of the Netherlands were able to visit the first casino.
In order to regulate all of the gambling within the country, the Netherlands Gaming Control Board was formed in 1996. The purpose of this new entity was to control the six betting monopolies in the country (All of the different formats of gambling that were legal).
The Dutch government felt that by having a set company running each different facet of the betting market, they would be able to maintain a handle on the level of gambling, and the monitor practices of the firms selected.
The explosion of the internet and the subsequent rise to prominence of online betting sites presented a new conundrum for not only the Dutch government, but those in power all around the world who wished to strictly regulate their citizens gambling activities.
In a similar move to the United States, the Netherlands attempted to pass laws to ensure that banks would have to reject transactions requested by online betting companies not located in the country. However, these blocks were ignored by the banks who suggested they were unlawful.
As it stands, there are no legal online casinos in Holland (those on land are run by a solitary company Holland Casino). The aggressive approach of the regulatory authorities to online operators targeting Dutch clients was witnessed last year.
Dutch gaming regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) fined ONISAC Ltd and Mansion Online Casino Ltd a combined total of €150k because their websites offered Dutch language options and accepted payment through the Dutch e-commerce system iDeal. A similar fine was imposed on Carribean based Global Stars, who were also considered to be actively courting Dutch custom.
There is however light at the end of the tunnel, and the Dutch authorities appeared to have succumbed to a combination of pressure from the EU and from the realisation that individuals will use foreign websites regardless, so they might as well benefit from the tax revenue that can be obtained from legalising online gambling activities.
Holland Casino has struggled and has been loss making in the face of foreign competition, and this has initiated action from the government. Legislation to allow online betting in Holland was adopted by the Dutch parliament in 2016 but it hasn’t been approved by the Dutch Senate.
Progress to implement legal online betting in the Netherlands is expected to be slow with no clear changes expected soon.