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It has been an arm's race for the pay and pay casinos targeting the Dutch Market with others like the Kindred group receiving hefty €470,000 fines for aggressive advertising techniques regarded as malpractice by the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA). The Gaming Act was enacted to pave way for a controlled gambling market last year. This new law was supposed to be implemented on July this year but it was pushed forward to January next year There's a [URL="https://www.gaminginholland.com/200909/gaming-in-holland-newsletter-ministry-of-justice-announces-entry-into-force-of-remote-gaming-act-on-march-1-2021-as-political-wrangling-continues-and-more"]possibility[/URL] that this will be further delayed to March 2021. [URL="https://www.government.nl/government/members-of-cabinet/sander-dekker"]Sander Dekker[/URL] – a Dutch minister and politician – hinted that they will need more time to assess casinos before this law is implemented.

Dutch gamblers have been wagering with illegal underground casinos or international ones that don't have a local presence. It looks like they will have to wait even longer for brick and mortar casinos to be licensed as they'll start operating on September next year. These live casinos may have their launch delayed even further if the COVID pandemic continues with its current trajectory. The KSA threw Dekker under the bus and made it clear that this delay was agreed to after lengthy discussions with stakeholders like [URL="https://idealecasinos.nl/"]idealecasinos.nl[/URL] who can't wait to have their license applications approved.

The Dutch government is setting up Central Register Uitsluiting Kansspelen (CRUKS), a government managed "blacklist". All licensed casinos will risk getting their licenses revoked of they give blacklisted players access to gambling services. Players will have their BSN – citizen identification numbers – added to the CRUKS system. Both online and physical casinos will have to double check the player's current CRUKS status before they wager. We've already seen that the KSA isn't shy of levying heavy fines to offenders as they’ve already slapped a few sportsbooks and casinos.

The new law will include extensive measures that will help prevent gambling addiction. Players can choose to be blacklisted in the CRUKS whenever they feel that they need to take a gambling break. In the sports betting world, we call this taking a sabbatical leave. In addition to having efficient age verification systems in place; the new law will require that bookies conduct KYC procedures that will reduce fraud that relates to gambling. Gambling is the preferred cleansing mechanism for money launderers in Netherlands and this is a group being targeted by the Dutch government. This will aid in curbing identity theft too. The KSA will restrict how casinos advertise and limit the endorsements they get from celebrities.

René Jansen, who's the active chairman of the Dutch Gambling Authority, revealed that they've already received applications from over 200 casinos requesting for gambling licenses. However, he confirmed that his agency won't take longer than 6 months processing each application.

These new licenses should be renewed every five years. They will cover all gambling related events including horse racing, sports betting and online casino games where players wager against the house. No sportsbook will be allowed to feature amateur events – like the lesser known leagues – as the KSA sees them as being easy to manipulate (fix). These events will be featured on the CRUKS blacklist.

Gambling ads will only be aired on TV from 9 PM to 6 AM. This "curfew" had been earlier set to 7 PM and 6 AM but it was revised after the KSA noted that as may be shown to minors watching the 7 PM primetime news.

All lotteries including the government run Staatsloterij can still advertise from 7 PM though. The Gambling Authority has always had the citizens interests at heart and it looks like these amendments will help prevent gambling addiction. Responsible gambling is their biggest priority and it’s a shame that Dekker defended the Holland Casino even after acknowledging that they do not keep track of players' losses and wins.