A bill proposing online gambling for casinos and sports betting is delayed in the Netherland as more amendments are being requested. This delay means that the country wouldn’t see online sports betting before January 2021.

Secondary amendments needed

Sander Dekker, the minister of Justice and Security of the Netherlands announced today that the country’s online sports betting bill will be delayed. He said that the Remote Betting and Gaming Act will require secondary amendments before the government decides to enact it. Once the amendments are added, the bill will be enforced in January next year.

When the act is enforced, gambling operators and legal sports betting companies will be allowed to apply for the license. It would take another six months for the application to be approved. This means that the Dutch online will not be functional at least until July 2021.

What does the amendment include?

The new amendments ask for more marketing protections for users. It suggests specific items when advertisements can be played and supports the lack of celebrity endorsements for such services. This will help in protecting the younger audience from engaging in gambling on the internet. There may also be some new rules related to gambling addiction options for at-risk populations.

Dekker noted,

“We see that society is digitizing even further and that more than half a million Dutch citizens are currently playing online games of chance without protection. This entails major risks of gambling addiction and fraud. I’m happy that we will be able to ensure that what is on offer is safe, so online games of chance can be played responsibly.”

Right now, all legal retail gaming premises in the Netherlands have been shuttered of the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, Dutch punters are increasingly using offshore gaming websites and internet sports betting options. If the country had an online betting regulation in place, it would have earned valuable revenue from these activities.

However, the government is in no hurry to implement its plans. It wants a robust and strict regulatory system. To date, TOTO, a legal online sports betting platform has enjoyed a monopoly in the country but it has been a subject of controversy because of underage gaming. The government doesn’t want this situation to multiply with more operators who have lax policies.