Dutch Gaming Authority

The Dutch Gambling Authority is an independent governing body that is responsible for regulating online and offline gambling in the Netherlands. The main goal is to create a safe gambling environment for Dutch consumers by granting licences and regulating the industry. The following review breaks down the most crucial aspects of the Dutch Gambling Authority and how it affects online gambling in the Netherlands!

Governing Body

The Dutch Gambling Authority (Kansspelautoriteit in Dutch) is an independent governing body that is responsible for regulating all forms of gambling in the Netherlands. The main goal of the Dutch Gambling Authority is to create a safe gambling environment for Dutch consumers. This is done by granting licences and regulating the Dutch gambling industry.

Types of Licenses

The Dutch Gambling Authority offers several types of licences:

History

Lotteries and other gambling products have been around for a very long time in the Netherlands. The national state lottery, Staatsloterij, is in fact the oldest running lottery in the world and dates back to 1726. In 1996 an independent governing body called 'College van Toezicht op Kansspelen' was founded to regulate and control gambling in the Netherlands. Its main task was to make sure that the activities of licensees comply with the Dutch Gambling Law. On April 1st 2012 the College was lifted and replaced with the Dutch Gambling Authority.

Up to now the Netherlands have been rather strict towards the gambling industry. The market is dominated by a handful of big national operators, such as Staatsloterij, Postcode Loterij, Lotto and Holland Casino. The good news is that this is all going to change once the new gambling law is in place. Holland Casino, a public company which now owns all the casinos in the country, will become a private company and online gambling will be legalised in the Netherlands.

Due to European agreements Dutch players are currently allowed to gamble on European gambling sites without being punished. The Dutch Gaming Authority allows these sites to accept the players as long as the product or service isn't actively targeting the Dutch market through advertisement.

In the near future the Dutch Gambling Authority will issue its own licences to operators that are interested in offering their online gambling products to the Dutch market. This will lead to more freedom and possibilities, while the gambling industry will become significantly safer for Dutch players. The licence will cover the following gambling products:

The exact requirements haven't been revealed yet. However, the Dutch Gambling Authority has announced to be looking at the following:

Reliability

The Dutch Gambling Authority is very reliable. The goal of this independent governing body is to protect Dutch players from all illegal and criminal forms of gambling and misleading advertisements. The Dutch Gambling Authority guards the safety and reliability of gambling products offered in the Netherlands. It also seeks to prevent gambling addictions and fights to protect minors and other vulnerable individuals from the exposure to gambling. It regularly puts sanctions into place to protect the consumer.