With a spate of countries enacting more liberal stances on online gambling, the European eGaming community has been having a bit of a renaissance in recent years. Now it looks like people in the Netherlands will soon be able to enjoy online updates of casino classics as well, as the Dutch government has announced plans to license and regulate an online gambling market in the diminutive nation.
The new changes, which come courtesy of the new coalition government birthed in October, will allow everything from poker and sports betting to lotteries and online casino games like blackjack and roulette to operate within Dutch borders beginning in 2015. The country’s gaming community had previously been controlled by a national monopoly, Holland Casino, though the new bill will introduce a healthy dose of competition in the market.
"It is a big shift," Jaap Oosterveer, a spokesman for the Dutch Ministry of Public Safety and Justice, told the press. "But this is a new government with a more liberal approach."
While gamers will soon be able to legally enjoy online roulette, slots and poker, the government has announced plans to create a few safeguards designed to prevent addictive behavior, fraud and identity theft. The specifics of these limitations have yet to be released.
