National and international operators are being encouraged to pre-apply for a Dutch gambling license by the Kansspelautoriteit, the local gambling board. Starting on December 1st of 2014 companies can apply for a license to operate in the Netherlands, as online gambling looks to become legal in the second half of 2015.
Licensed gambling in the Netherlands doesn’t seem to be a huge hit, as the small country and its high taxes will prevent from foreign countries to invest lots of money into it. Only a small group of online casino and poker websites are likely to apply for a license, e.g. Unibet and PokerStars.
The licensing system in the Netherlands has been eight years in the making and now that it’s finally coming together. The system however is far from ready, as the government still hasn’t decided on many of its details, PokerFuse reported.
From the poker perspective it’s pivotal that players are still part of the global player pool, while casino players merely need to be protected from some of the rotten websites out there. Overall, a few big sites will make small profits off the regulated Dutch market as they will likely dominate this small market.