Dutch Gambling Laws

A Dutch committee has determined that online poker should be legal in Holland but that other online gaming should be illegal.

The six-member committee was established about a year ago to review the country’s online gaming policy and issued a report this week suggesting that while online poker was good, other forms of online gaming should be outlawed.

The committee said that because online poker is such a popular activity, it would be hard to restrict online poker to a state-owned entity and suggested that Dutch citizens continue to be allowed to play at online casinos that accept Dutch residents. It suggested that the country issue licenses to a number of different operators.

Sports betting and the lottery are currently allowed under existing laws, but the committee argued that online gaming like sports betting, bingo and online casinos should be illegal.

The decision was roundly criticized by the Remote Gambling Association, which said that while the regulation of online poker is a good thing, the exclusion of other online gaming is troubling. The RGA is a trade association that represents a number of online gaming operators based in Europe, including Bet365, Betfair, 888 and Ladbrokes.