Legal Security Minister Sander Dekker The Dutch Remote Gambling Act (KOA) moved the legislation back to 1st April 2021 and the market opening date to 1st October.
For the third time, Dutch igaming has postponed its launch
In response to several parliamentarians’ questions, Dekker announced that it would be appropriate to take the latest pause. The government had introduced the laws slowly and must create a more strong regulatory climate.
KOA was initially expected to enter into force on 1st July 2020, with the market opening six months later at the beginning of 2021. However, the Act’s launch date was postponed by six months in November 2019, which means that the market will be opened on 1st July 2021.
The latest coronaviral (Covid-19) pandemic was re-launched in September 2020 as the Act was due to enter into force until 1st March 2021 following preparations for launch.
The new extension is the third, which means that the legislation is now in a force nine months later than initially envisaged.
Dekkener said that Cruks is well on the way to being ready by 1st October despite the delay in other regions. Last year, Dekker refuted any fears Cruks could have been delayed in advancing that the online market launch could be postponed as from the start date scheduled for 1st January at that time.
Dekker acknowledged that the VAN Kansspelen slot machines Association shared similar views. Still, he disagreed because, in conjunction with other measures like money, Dekker argued that this could be a useful tool.
Finally, he said that because Cruks already carries out testing before players enter, no significant burden is put on monitoring how often every player enters.
The Dutch Government has informed the European Commission of certain other aspects of its new legislation when the gambling act comes into force. The bonuses provided by operators are subject to substantial restrictions. Gambling is not to be reported between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. These include the requirement that licensees develop a policy on the prevention of addiction. At the same time, players have to define the maximum permissible credit on their account and specific technical specifications, recordkeeping needs, and licensees’ reporting requirements.