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The Current Absurdity of the Dutch Online Gambling Law

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The Current Absurdity of the Dutch Online Gambling LawReading Time: 4 minutes

The Senate of the Netherlands has been discussing a bill that proposes to regulate online gambling in the country. A vote has been scheduled to take place this week. The bill was passed by the lower house in 2016 and has been languishing for two years because other issues were given priority.

This article seeks to acquaint Dutch online casino players on various aspects of this important topic through the following sections.

  1. The existing laws concerning online gambling
  2. The key points in the proposed bill
  3. The expected steps forward if the bill is passed
  4. Comparison with the online gambling laws in the United Kingdom

Existing Dutch Online Gambling Laws

The key legislation covering gambling in the Netherlands is the Dutch Gambling Act of 1964 commonly referred to as the Wok. Under this Act only one licence for land based casino operations has been issued. This is to the Dutch state-owned Holland Casino. The Act does not cover online gambling at all. There is no provision to issue licenses and none are therefore issued. It is illegal to offer any form of online gambling in the Netherlands as of now.

But the fact is that Dutch players are gambling at hundreds of offshore operators generating revenue of over €800 million from online casino gaming and other online gambling verticals like poker and sports betting. However, it is not illegal for Dutch players to play at these sites. The players themselves will not face prosecution. In the absolute worst case they may lose their deposits if the sites are blocked. If you’re willing to take a risk then you can play at any of our recommended online casinos. They are regulated outside Holland by top notch agencies like the Malta Gaming Authority and the Government of Gibraltar.

The Dutch Remote Gaming Bill

From 2012, the Dutch Gaming Authority, commonly referred to as KSA, had the task of regulating gambling in the country. As a part of its efforts the Remote Gambling Bill for online gambling was prepared. Here it is important to point out that two reasons have been cited for this.

  1. Pressure from the European Union to bring a competitive and regulated online gambling structure in Holland on par with that prevalent in some other countries like the United Kingdom.
  2. The Dutch government sees the massive online gambling turnover as a revenue source that is presently going out of the country. Regulating online gambling will bring taxation and licensing revenue to the national exchequer.

The key points of the Remote Gambling Bill are as follows.

Procedure

  • Interested online gaming operators will have to apply for a license.
  • KSA would scrutinise applications and award a five-year license to deserving operators.
  • Applicants based inside the European Economic Area would be given preference.

Taxation

  • The main revenue would come from a 29% tax on gross gaming revenue.
  • Another 1.5% would be levied to fund the activities of the KSA.
  • 0.5% would be levied to create a Responsible Gambling fund to rehab players inflicted with problem gambling.

Other restrictions

  • Limits have been proposed on marketing sites via non-pay TV channels.
  • There are restrictions on promoting in-play wagers during sports broadcasts.
  • Online gambling operators are to be prohibited from accepting wagers on any sports team with which they have a sponsorship deal.

The Way Forward

If the bill is passed by the Senate then the process of receiving and scrutinising applications can begin. Operators at present serving Dutch players through offshore regulators have expressed intent to become a part of the national regime.

Unfortunately, there is a strong move to exclude the operators presently functioning from overseas locations, also referred to as grey area operators, from the licensing process. If they are not altogether excluded, they are likely to face a cooling off period that may range from two years to five years. This was confirmed by Justice Minister Sander Dekker. This means that the best brands presently operating in Holland will not be given licenses.

  • If they are prevented from operating in the regulated market, Dutch players will be deprived of the best brands.
  • If they continue to operate from offshore locations, then KSA may be unsuccessful in channelizing Dutch players to licensed operators.

In either event, the system as a whole will lose out. There are even whispered rumours that the Dutch government may create a single state owned monopoly to offer online gambling services, as it has done with land based gambling.

Comparisons with the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom implemented a regulated online gambling regime about a decade ago. But it went about the business in a completely different way. It took the offshore operators then functioning in Britain on board. The United Kingdom Gambling Commission insisted that will have to apply for fresh licenses but was sensitive to the concerns these operators faced and tried to find mutually acceptable solutions in an amicable manner.

Today the United Kingdom Gambling Commission is regarded as one of the strictest regulators. It has imposed strict practices to be followed for prevention of underage gambling and problem gambling. Advertisements deemed unsuitable are immediately acted upon. Bonus and promotion offers that do not meet its standards of fairness and transparency have to be retracted. Hefty punishments are imposed on defaulters.

This has created a win-win situation for everybody.

  • The British players are getting products from the best online gaming operators in a favourable environment.
  • The online gaming operators are benefitting from players moving to them from sites that are not licensed in Britain.
  • The British government is getting additional tax revenues in the exchequer.

When one compares the Dutch and British scenarios it is evident that the Dutch absurdities are not likely to really succeed unless corrections are made before the legislation is passed.

Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network
This is a Syndicated News piece. Photo credits or photo sources can be found on the source article: The Current Absurdity of the Dutch Online Gambling Law

George Miller (Gyorgy Molnar) started his career in content marketing and has started working as an Editor/Content Manager for our company in 2016. George has acquired many experiences when it comes to interviews and newsworthy content becoming Head of Content in 2017. He is responsible for the news being shared on multiple websites that are part of the European Gaming Media Network.

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Week 10/2025 slot games releases

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Here are this weeks latest slots releases compiled by European Gaming

Spinomenal has unveiled Irish Treasures 2 – the follow up to the hugely successful original Irish Treasures – Leprechaun’s Fortune. Players return to an enchanted forest that shimmers with green embers under a darkened canopy. The game is set within a 5×3 format, framed in a wooden frame to give the feeling of being inside an old Irish drinking tavern. A red-haired pixie, pot of gold, beer tankard and wooden pipe complete the rustic feel.

BGaming is thrilled to announce the launch of Alice WonderLuck. Inspired by the whimsical world of Lewis Caroll’s iconic novel, Alice Wonderluck invites players to conjure up some magic on the reels. Alice WonderLuck plunges players into a vibrant reimagining of Wonderland, where a series of familiar characters are given a fresh, digital makeover. The classic tale’s creative and slightly off-kilter atmosphere has been brought to life perfectly with an enchanting soundtrack.

Push Gaming reinvigorates classic entertainment with its homage to retro fruit machines in its latest release, Power Vault. This slot is the debut game from Reel Hot Games, a new sub-brand of Push Gaming, blending nostalgic slot themes with innovative mechanics for players seeking lower and medium volatility. Blending modern mechanics with classic aesthetics, Power Vault is played across 3×3 reels and five paylines. Players must match iconic symbols like sevens, bars and bells across these pay lines to be awarded a win.

Prepare to face the legendary Gorgon in Medusa’s Madness, a mythology-infused slot where every cascade brings players closer to her petrifying power. Step into the depths of Medusa’s lair, where a 5×5 cascading grid slot awaits those daring enough to confront the serpent-haired queen. Clusters of four or more symbols trigger wins, charging the mysterious Portal to unlock powerful effects. With Special Wilds, symbol removals, and the chance to summon Medusa’s Mega Wild form, players must tread carefully if they hope to escape unscathed.

Hölle Games has released Jolly Wild Deluxe slot game, a 6×3 return of the Jolly character who some might say is more suited to a horror franchise than a slot. This time the Jolly brings a companion, a gold-faced twin who acts as a multiplier and awards 2x in the base game for any active payline. However subsequent Jollies also multiply, meaning that a payline reward could be multiplied by up to 32x.

Introducing Steamworks – Gears of Fortune, the newest offering from the acclaimed game studio Peter & Sons. This medium volatility video slot boasts unique game mechanics and immerses players in a dystopian, steam-powered universe nestled within the ruins of an industrial city, where the gears of fortune determine your destiny!

Strike gold with Dynamite Trio from Booming Games, the explosive slot featuring a thrilling 3-pot feature! Join the prospector on a deep mining adventure, where golden nuggets of fun and features are waiting to be uncovered. Put on your hard hat and brace yourself for some of the most exciting bonuses and rewards yet! Dynamite Trio is a 3×5, 20-line slot packed with exciting features. At the core of the game is the 3-pot system, with three powerful dynamite Scatters: Boost, Expand, and Collect.

Relax Gaming, the iGaming aggregator and supplier of unique content, is sending players on a mission they’ll never fur-get as they clean up the streets of pesky pooches in Purrrminator. This 6×4 Connected Ways slot can see players net up to 5,000x their stake, Free Spins and an innovative Reverse Avalanche mechanic. The Reverse Avalanche feature sees all winning symbols locked in place and retained whilst new symbols drop A round only ends when no more matching symbols land on the reels.

Evoplay has launched Young Buffalo Song, a nature-inspired slot that takes players on a journey through the vast North American plains. Set on a 5×4 reel layout with 20 pay lines, the game introduces Wild multipliers that appear on reels 2, 3, and 4, boosting wins by x2 or x3 in both the base game and Free Spins. Landing three or more Scatter symbols awards up to 20 Free Spins, with Wild multipliers remaining active throughout.

The post Week 10/2025 slot games releases appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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European Esports Championship 2025 to Take Place from July 9-13

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The International Esports Federation (IESF) is thrilled to announce that the European Esports Championship 2025 will be hosted in Pristina, Kosovo, from 9-13 July. This tournament will bring together 180 esports athletes from across Europe, competing in some of the world’s most popular game titles.

The championship will feature:
Counter Strike 2 –  Top 16 teams
Counter Strike 2  Women – Top 8 teams
Dota 2 – Top 12 teams

The road to Pristina begins with an intense online qualification stage, taking place from 16 May to 1 June. The top-performing teams from this stage will earn their spot at the European Esports Championship, where they will battle for national glory in front of a passionate esports audience.

“We are excited to bring the European Esports Championship to Pristina, a city with an emerging esports scene and a strong community of gamers. This event will showcase the incredible talent of European players and reinforce the growing significance of esports in the region,” said Igor Nedeski, Esports Manager at IESF.

The European Esports Championship 2025 promises high-level competition,live broadcasts, and a thrilling esports experience for both players and fans. More details regarding match schedules, venue information, and streaming platforms will be revealed in the coming weeks.

The post European Esports Championship 2025 to Take Place from July 9-13 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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RaceiQ metrics now available for free on Racing TV platforms – in time for Cheltenham Festival

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RaceiQ metrics – the revolutionary data which offers exciting new tools and insights into how we assess horse racing – are now available for free to view on www.racingtv.com and Racing TV Apps.

The metrics – available for all British and Irish races – will prove a valuable tool for all race-fans and punters, especially ahead of the sport’s biggest betting week, next week’s Cheltenham Festival.

Since its launch last year, RaceiQ has become integral to Racing TV and ITV Racing’s pre- and post-race analysis – and is now available for everyone to access (no login required) via Racing TV’s newly enhanced results pages.

Racing TV users can see how horses fared across the full suite of RaceiQ metrics only minutes after every race in Britain and Ireland. This underlying tracking data is provided by Coursetrack, the award-winning live, in-race timing information system, for RMG and Irish racecourses, and also from TPD in respect of other UK racecourses.

The metrics are available in the “expanded view” of the standard Result tab, and in a new RaceiQ Comparison tab, which enables a quick comparison of all the horses in a race.

Metrics include: Finishing speed percentage (FSP), Time Index, Par Time, Par Sectionals, Par FSP, 0-20mph, Lengths Gained Jumping (LGJ) and Jump Index. For more on these, please visit www.racingtv.com/raceiq.

The revamped results pages also feature a fully integrated Sectionals tab – the only place to view both British and Irish race sectionals. The tab shows the below data for every horse in every furlong:

  • Sectional time
  • Race position and cumulative time from leader
  • A line graph visualisation

RaceiQ is the result of an innovative partnership between Ellipse, the leading sports data and analytics company, and Racecourse Media Group (RMG), which represents media interests of 37 racecourses.

Ed Gretton, Director of Racing at RMG, said: “We couldn’t be more pleased with the reaction to RaceiQ, which has really captured the imagination and quickly gained the trust and full confidence of industry professionals. Racing TV’s website and mobile and tablet Apps are the only place to see all British and Irish sectionals, as well as the full suite of RaceiQ metrics. It’s all free to access and will revolutionise how we approach the sport.”

Roderick Grafton, MD – Horse Racing at Ellipse, added: “We have been delighted with the way in which both pundits and punters have adopted RaceiQ. The Ellipse Data Scientists and Engineers have used their expertise and learnings from other sports to generate compelling cutting-edge metrics, providing new angles and narratives in every race. We are very excited that, via RacingTV.com and its Apps, all horse racing fans will now have access to the full suite of RaceiQ metrics.”

Data is available for all British races back to March 2023, and for all Irish races back to January 1, 2024. Historic sectionals are still accessible via links to PDFs.

RaceiQ specialises in using complex modelled metrics to turn detailed GPS tracking data, provided by Coursetrack, into easily digestible content for broadcasters, participants and racing fans alike. The suite of metrics has been developed by Ellipse’s data science and engineering specialists, combined with AI and machine learning.

For businesses looking to learn more about RaceiQ, a B2B website has also been launched – www.raceiq.com. The site houses in-depth detail about RaceiQ metrics, insights, testimonials and the list of products and services on offer.

The post RaceiQ metrics now available for free on Racing TV platforms – in time for Cheltenham Festival appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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