Dutch regulator concerned about delay in online gambling regulation

Political wrangling over tax levels in the soon-to-be legalised Dutch online gambling market (see previous  reports) has led to the director of the Kansspelautoriteit or Dutch Games of Chance Authority, Marja Appelman, voicing concerns during a newspaper interview this week regarding the continuing delays in implementation.

Appelman urged lawmakers to move quickly on introducing the new regulatory regime, observing that the delays are leaving Dutch online punters unprotected in terms of both unlicensed and unregulated operators, and gamblers vulnerable to compulsive gaming.

She revealed that there are 8.7 million gamblers in the Netherlands, of which around 90,000 could be regarded as potentially at risk of “primary gambling addiction.”

Without the necessary legislation in place, the regulator has insufficient authority or resources available to monitor problem gambling and properly supervise the market, the director said, stressing the need for a strictly regulated licensing and enforcement system.

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