Dutch Online Gambling Market to Open on January 1st 2021, According to Kansspelautoriteit

Rene Jansen, the chairman of the Dutch gambling regulator, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has said that he believes that Netherlands will get its own iGaming market on January 1st 2021.

The Remote Gambling Act has passed the Senate scrutiny this February, after being “neither here nor there” for years. It will come into effect from July 1st next year.

Still A Lot to be Done

From that date on, KSA will be processing licensing requests and handing out permissions for gambling business...

...Jansen estimates that it will take the authority six months to get all of that done before the market can be officially open on January 1st – similar to Sweden that began its online gambling odyssey on January 1st this year.

Ministry of Security and Justice of Netherlands still has work to do before the Act can truly come into force – they are, at the present moment, working on a draft of technical regulations that will serve as a logistical support for the legislation itself.

Once that has been done, KSA will commence coming up with licensing conditions. In March, they have launched a public consultation on ways of controlling consumer protection which is an obligatory part of the process.

Precautionary Measures

In order to gain insight into the levels of interest in the online gambling market of Netherlands…

...KSA has invited operators to register their interest on their official website, as well as to avoid being hit by an avalanche of applications.

As Jansen explains:

“It is important for the KSA to know how many licence applications we can expect in the future. This information will allow us to organise the licensing process properly. A smooth process is not only in our own interest but also in the interest of the companies that are going to apply for a licence.”

Avoiding the Pressure

He also added that the licensing process itself will likely put a lot of pressure on the regulator...

...but everything is being done so that it goes without a hitch, “If we cannot manage with our permanent staff, we will hire external staff.”

In the meantime, Rutger-Jen Hebben, the director of the Dutch iGaming operator association (Speel Verantwoord), has decided to step down from his position.

“[I] am pleased that all our efforts have led to a transparent online gambling licensing system in the Netherlands,” Hebben said. “This is in the interest of both consumers and market parties. “Now that this milestone has been reached, I will focus on my own company, but I look back with satisfaction on what we have achieved.”

His replacement will be Peter-Paul de Goeij who will take on his role from July 1st. Hebben was Speel Verantwoord's director since its inception in 2014. He will continue to focus on businesses that will need tending to after the Remote Gaming Act was passed.

The chairman of the organization, Eric Konings, wished Hebben all the success in the future and expressed his delight in finding de Goeij to replace him.

Source:

“KSA chair sets January 2021 launch date for Dutch iGaming market”, igamingbusiness.com, June 5, 2019.