Netherlands
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Entain is intending to make progress into the Dutch gambling marketplace during the first half of 2022, with the gaming and sports betting firm issuing an update on its pathway to obtaining licence in the country.

This comes in the aftermath of the region’s regulator, the Kansspelautoriteit, issuing licences to the first ten market incumbents, ahead of the long awaited opening of the country’s legalised online gambling market from midnight on Friday 1 October.

Entain updates that it intends to submit its licence application later this year, with the group aiming to be granted a licence during the first half of 2022, in line with an objective of only operating in domestically regulated markets.

“Since July 2019 Entain has been operating in compliance with the Netherlands Gambling Authority ‘cooling off’ criteria,” Entain confirmed.

“In accordance with the NGA’s policy changes announced last week Entain will cease its offering for players in the Netherlands on 1 October 2021. This will impact EBITDA by around £5m per month.”  

Earlier this year, the Ksa announced that 29 licence applications had been submitted, before confirming that one in three had been approved for entry tomorrow.

This saw the Toto Online brand of Nederlandse Loterij; Dutch arcade group FPO Netherlands; Holland Casino; and NSUS Malta, which counts GGPoker as part of its stable; all gain approvals.

Further entrants include Estonia’s Play North, operator of the Rocket Casino and Pikakasino brands, bingo operator Tombola, bet365; Belgian brand Bingoal, Italy’s Betent; and LiveScore Malta.

Kansspelautoriteit,

The gaming authority has urged individuals who want to gamble to do so through licensed providers, which will be recognisable by a logo at the bottom of the website or app.

Upon launch of the country’s digital ecosystem, there will be a legal requirement for all Ksa licensed online gambling operators to centralise their player databases with the CRUKS self-exclusion system.

René Jansen, chair of the Ksa, recently confirmed a revised penalty policy that will also come into effect from Friday, with a legitimate online gambling market meaning “heavy fines for illegal operators.”

“Operators with a turnover of less than €15m will pay a basic fine of €600,000 – which can be increased in the event of any additional – aggravating – circumstances,” he commented. 

“Those could include targeting young people or the absence of information about addiction prevention.

“Operators with a turnover of more than €15m will receive a basic fine of four per cent of their turnover, which we will estimate, if necessary.

“We will also be applying the same aggravating circumstances to those types of fines. I don’t think I need to do the maths right now for you to understand that this new penalty policy means serious money indeed.”