Dutch coalition has gambling regulation on the agenda

The new Dutch ruling coalition comprising the Liberal Party (Volkspartij voor en Democratie, VVD) and the Labor Party (Partij van de Arbeid, PvdA) have laid out plans to modernise gambling policies in the Netherlands along with reaching agreement on the conditional sale of the state-owned Holland Casino.

A gaming tax on land-based lottery and online gambling is in the pipeline for implementation in 2015 which it says will include:

Lottery permits (not online) including the State Lottery:

– to be awarded by means of a transparent procedure which may take the form of an auction.
– a market licence fee instituted.

Online gambling regulation:

–     online gambling market to be legalised and regulated by the next term
–     an initial suggestion of a 29 percent gaming tax levied at online providers
–     illegal providers currently providing services to Dutch residents to be excluded from the process
–     licences withdrawn on non-payment of prescribed gaming tax

Modernisation of the Dutch online gambling policy will encompass regulation of the internet gambling, sports betting and poker sectors.