GiH Newsletter: Participants in parliamentary roundtable discussion announced ...and more!
Especially selected for you: the latest in Dutch and international gaming news.?
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2025 Gaming in Holland Conference – Save the date!?
The 2025 Gaming in Holland Conference will take place June 5, 2025, in Amsterdam.?
Save the date!?
Netherlands Gambling Authority received 13 reports of potential match-fixing in 2024?
In 2024 the Netherlands Gambling Authority's Sports Betting Intelligence Unit (SBIU) had received thirteen reports of possible match-fixing from eight different operators – more than twice the number of incident reports it received in 2023.??
Out of the thirteen reports, ten were from tennis matches, two from football and one from basketball.?
Dutch regulator clarifies autoplay regulations?
The Netherlands Gambling Authority has issued a warning to a licensed operator for offering an online roulette game that allowed players to automatically repeat their previous bet during the next spin without engaging in a separate action.??
According to the regulator, this feature – whether intended or not – falls under the prohibition on autoplay.??
Since different operators may use identical software, all other licensees also received a letter from the regulator to remind them of the full extent of the ban on autoplay features.??
Regulus: Dutch market case study of negative effects of over-regulation?
The Dutch market offers a useful case study of the negative effects of over-regulation, says gambling consultancy firm Regulus Partners .??
The Netherlands Gambling Authority recently reported that market channelization in terms of GGR is likely as low as 49%, partially as the result of additional player protection measures (including deposit limits) introduced in the second half of 2024.?
Regulus makes two particularly noteworthy observations. First, considering the latest black-market estimates, Dutch per-capita spend on gambling lies not below the European average – as has long been an assumption of local policy makers:??
“The KSA has previously assumed that Dutch adults spend less on gambling per capita than the European average, despite the Netherlands being a wealthy nation (€272 in 2023 vs. €339 per adult across Europe; KSA stats). If we gross this figure up for the KSA’s new black market leakage levels, this brings the Dutch average up to €353 – Dutch exceptionalism is a failure of channeling and therefore the fiscal- regulatory regime, not lower spending from Dutch gamblers.”?
There is also significant criticism regarding the proportionality of the €700 monthly deposit limit, which has “not impacted over 90% of people,” while “driv[ing] a significant proportion of higher spenders into the black market to avoid government intrusion.”??
Austria now likely to continue online casino monopoly?
Following the collapse of talks between the conservative ?VP and right-wing populist FP?, a new three-party coalition has been formed in Austria. Instead of an open market, the new coalition appears to have set its sights on a continuation of the current monopoly model.?
The government’s coalition agreement suggests that a single 15-year license will be granted for the operation of online casinos when the current sole license – held by Austrian Lotteries – expires in 2027.?
The parties also plan to implement a tougher crackdown on the country’s surging unlicensed operators.?
Pieter Remmers: “Sometimes, I am seen as an apostate”?
Responsible gaming guru and former addiction counselor Pieter Remmers looks back at his long career in a wide-ranging interview with CasinoNieuws.
Contrary to current sensibilities, Remmers believes that gambling addiction researchers and care providers should cooperate more with responsible gambling operators.??
Dutch court orders Betsson to repay almost €120,000 in player losses?
The District Court of the Northern Netherlands has recently ruled that Malta-based BML Group Ltd (Betsson) must repay the losses that a player suffered between 2017 and early 2021.??
In line with similar rulings, the court found that Dutch civil law was applicable and that the prohibition on online gambling rendered the contractual agreement between player and operator null and void.??
Notably, the court declined to await the response of the Netherlands’ Supreme Court to several general prejudicial questions related to individual player claims. The court also found that the Netherlands Gambling Authority's enforcement policies, i.e., the so-called prioritization criteria that were in effect at the time, had not made the then-applicable ban on online gambling practically obsolete.??
However, Malta's Supreme Court recently ruled that civil judgments against Malta-based operators may not be enforced if these judgements are based on national legislation deemed in violation of Art. 56 TFEU, casting doubt on the practical enforceability of successful player claims.??
Meanwhile, State Secretary for Legal Protection, Teun Struycken repeatedly indicated in response to parliamentary questioning that the government is currently not considering taking additional steps to facilitate players reclaiming losses suffered prior to 2021. Struycken stressed that recourse must be sought through civil courts or (when applicable) the Dutch Data Protection Authority, while also pointing to the independent role of the Netherlands Gambling Authority in assessing the reliability of currently licensed operators.?
Participants in parliamentary roundtable discussion on gambling policy announced?
On March 19, the Permanent Committee for Justice and Security of the Dutch Lower House will host a roundtable discussion on gambling policy.?The discussions were requested by MPs Rosemarijn Dral (VVD) and Peter Smitskam (PVV) and will offer the industry a rare chance to be heard in The Hague.?
The roundtable discussion is split up in four blocks: 1) land-based gambling; 2) online gambling; 3) care and prevention; and 4) supervision and experts.??
While all the major land-based operators are represented (Nederlandse Loterij, Holland Casino, Postcode Loterij, JVH gaming & entertainment Group), the market leaders in the online segment are conspicuously absent. Janshen-Hahnraths and Circus Casino are the only operators currently invited to speak about the Netherlands’ online market.??
Like its individual members, trade association NOGA is also not represented at the roundtable discussions. However, VNLOK Chair Helma Lodders is scheduled to make an appearance.??
A follow-up debate on gambling policy is scheduled for March 27, 2025.?
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