Dutch Remote Gambling Act comes into force April 1

The Dutch Gambling Authority (Kansspelautoriteit/Ksa) expects that by October 1 this year, roughly 6 months from the enactment of the Remote Gambling Act (Wet Kansspelen op Afstand/Koa), 35 online gaming operators will have received a license to operate in the Netherlands.

This according to René Jansen, Chairman of the board of Ksa in the regulator’s 2020 Annual Report that was published this week.

In the preface to the report, Jansen highlights that the year 2020 was a year in which the regulator mainly focused on preparing for the upcoming changes:

“Our current legal framework dates from 1964. At the time nobody considered digitization. Therefore, it was about time to introduce the Koa to supplement our existing regulation.”

The new regulation will come into force on 1 April 2021. Starting then, online operators can submit their applications for a Dutch online gambling license. The Ksa will then take six months to process the applications. On October 1, 2021, the online operators that have passed the review process will be granted with a permit to operate.

Jansen: “We are expecting to issue a huge number of gaming licenses in one go, approximately 35, with the majority of them already operating internationally.”

Previously, Jansen said that about over 150 operators had already shown interest in a Dutch online gaming license and he expects that while 35 will be the initial number of licenses granted, there will be many more to follow in the years after

In the 2020 Annual Report, the Ksa also points out that they expect to turn down about 15% of the initial applicants.

In February this year, the Dutch regulator had published a report forecasting the Dutch online gaming market once the new regulation would come in force.