Dutch Government Regulating Online Gambling?

It seems the Dutch government is having a hard time with what to do with online gambling and has now, again it seems, flop stances. The Government has done a lot over the years to keep online gambling out. They made a blacklist of foreign online gambling sites (2008) and then told banks to not do business with them for fear of being prosecuted; the Dutch version of the U.S. UIGEA. They have also spent a lot of time in European Court fighting to keep online gambling out.

Ladbrokes and Betfair have been battling Holland for years with the case going all the way to the European Court of Justice . Late in 2009, The Advocate General of Europe’s highest court provided his opinion on the matter and decided that the Dutch Government had the right to band foreign gambling sites from operating within its borders.

But that was then and this is now and a new government has a different view of online gambling.  Today in an announcement in Telegraaf, it now seems the Netherlands will license and regulate internet gambling.  Just like any changes of opinions, the first thing pointed out was the money and the fact it could raise €270 million in revenue a year.

There has been no official announcement other than the article in Telegraaf which has been inundated with pages upon pages of negative comments from its readers. So will this possible Dutch legalization go through? No one knows for sure yet but if history is any indication, don’t be surprised in another flip flip.

Author: GamesAndCasino