Netherlands regulator grants igaming licenses to bet365, GGPoker, other 8 operators

Regulated online gambling in the Netherlands is one step closer to becoming a reality, as the Netherlands Gaming Authority Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) announced on Wednesday it has granted a total of 10 online gaming licenses.

The Gaming Authority has already named the 10 companies in an official release. By having been granted these licenses, the operators will be able to offer “games of chance” via the internet from 1 October 2021.

The 10 companies are:

• TOTO Online BV
• FPO Netherlands BV
• Holland Casino NV
• NSUS Malta Limited
• Play North Ltd
• Tombola Limited
• Hillside (New Media Malta) Plc
• Bingoal Netherlands BV
• Betent BV
• LiveScore Malta Limited

The list shows both local and multinational names entering the Netherlands market. Dutch approved operators include Betent, Bingoal, FPO Netherlands BV, Holland Casino, and TOTO Online BV. Foreign companies include Bet365 (Hillside Plc), GGPoker (NSUS Malta Limited), LiveScore, Play North Ltd, Tombola.

Earlier this year, the Gaming Authority said a total of 29 applications had been submitted. The new announcement implies that only about one out of three have been approved by the KSA. The reason behind this is high standards to ensure safe gambling.

“High requirements are imposed on a license, including in the field of addiction prevention and consumer protection, and the KSA tests rigorously,” said René Jansen, chairman of the board of directors of the Dutch regulator.

However, this doesn’t mean any more new licenses will be approved in the future. According to the chairman of the Gaming Authority, the KSA expects more permits to be added in the short term, as more companies are still planning to submit their own applications.

According to Jansen, a complete picture of what the online gambling market in the Netherlands will look like should be expected around July 2022.

The Netherlands Gaming Authority is also set to publish a Gaming Guide “soon”, which will allow players in the country to check whether a provider has a license to offer online gaming in the country, and with which websites or apps.

The KSA urges those interested in gambling online to do so with a provider licensed and supervised by the Gaming Authority, as this creates “a safe environment” that assures the player of a fair game, while mandating the provider to make sure that the player does not exceed their limits.

Back in July, the Netherlands regulator set online gambling exclusion rules. Based on the Remote Gambling Act effective since April, the Kansspelautoriteit outlined policy rules for a central player exclusion register called Cruks (Centraal Register Uitsluiting Kansspelen), where gamblers can be included both voluntarily or involuntarily by third parties to tackle addiction.

From October 1, all gambling operators must connect to Cruks and check whether there is a registration there before a player starts playing. If that is the case, the player should be denied access to the game.