As of the year 2021, quite a lot will change for online casinos from the Netherlands. After a long wait, it will become possible to obtain licenses directly from the Dutch government. The government has been discussing this for some time and, to the annoyance of many, it has continued to be postponed, but now the time has finally come, officially from January 1, 2021.
Actually, it is quite a bizarre idea that this law has not come before already implemented is. Indeed, in the last two decades, there have been many people who visit online casinos and play games of chance on the internet. The last time this was enacted was more than 50 years ago, long before the internet was introduced to the general public at all.
The name of this old law is De WOK law. This stands for the Gambling Act. Of course there is nothing to be found here about remote games of chance, because this was not a thing at all at the time. It mainly focuses on games of chance that are played in a physical casino or directly in other places. It is not surprising that it is high time for a new variant in which gambling at a distance or online is clearly highlighted. This will make the rules clearer for both providers and players, because they are not really that, although we will explain how it goes.
When exactly will this law come into effect?
After years of talking about the law, it received final approval in February 2019. However, this does not mean that the law also entered into force at the time, because that will only happen from 1 January 2021, provided that for some reason things are delayed. That does not seem to be the case so far. Actually, this means that online casinos that want a license can apply for it from this date. The government will then look at which candidates will receive a license. Probably there will be many more requests than the number of available licenses. This is determined by the games of chance authority at a number of around 90.
The reason for this number is mainly due to the interest so far. We also looked at how previous processes have gone abroad. It is also taken into account that a number of applications will be rejected. This could be, for example, because the company submitting the application is not in order, or because the application is not good. Although it can also be normal because the number of available places has already been allocated.
Players can now also gamble online?
Visit you a prominent website about online gambling where Dutch players are welcome, you can just gamble there. Provided you are sure that this is a reliable online casino. Fortunately, there are several ways to find out. You will see certain names of gambling sites coming back again and again, especially since there are a lot of players and because they are satisfied. These casinos have often built up good reputations over the years, making players happy to return.
Another good way to find out if a gambling site is reliable for you as a gambler is to look at the opinions of others. There are always other players who have preceded you and often leave these reviews and ratings behind online. By looking at these you can see how the opinions are made. You can then draw your conclusions from this. Every good online casino also has an extensive privacy policy on which you can see how they handle personal data. You can also check whether they have the correct licenses and permits.
What changes are we going to see?
The biggest change for online casinos will be that they have to adjust their policies to the wishes of the Dutch government. It will be especially important for these gambling sites whether that policy is going to be very different from that of other organizations that now issue licenses under which they operate. If this is the case, it can take quite some time and effort for an online casino to meet all requirements. The extra flow of visitors that this will deliver will be more than worth it. Moreover, it will generally make an online casino appear a lot more reliable if it is allowed to work under a Dutch license.
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