Legislation
The Netherlands – Dutch Ministry of Justice confirms delay to Remote Gaming Act
By Phil - 20 January 2021
The Netherlands’ launch of online gaming will be delayed again with the Remote Gambling Act (Koa) pushed back by another month due to the need for its ‘careful implementation.’
The Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security confirmed that the country’s Remote Gaming Act will enter into force on April 1, 2021, one month later than initially planned. The regulated online market will then open six months later, on October 1, 2021.
The extra ‘punishment’ period for online operators who previously targeted Dutch players will also be extended by one month.
In the same letter, Minister for Legal Protection Sander Dekker said: “Earlier I informed you that I am aiming for entry into force on 1 March 2021. This was also considered feasible because a great deal is already known to all parties involved about the content of legislation and secondary legislation. It is clear that the public interests of games of chance policy are best served with rapid entry into force. Although the implementation is proceeding energetically, it has now become clear to all involved that careful implementation takes a little more time. For this reason, we shall postpone entry into force of the Koa Act by one month until 1 April 2021, so that the KSA and the gambling sector have sufficient opportunity to complete its preparations. The opening of the market will then take place on 1 October 2021.”
The minister highlighted that experience from other online gambling markets don’t indicate there will be any impact on lottery revenues.
