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Netherlands Gambling Issues Boil

Posted on February 18th, 2011

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Operators of online gambling establishments were overwhelmed with the recent news from the Netherlands, outlining their plans to auction limited licenses for online gambling. The plan, if it pushes through, would mean that the rest of the operators who would not be able to secure a license will be forced to shut down their businesses. Current gambling in Netherlands by existing operators, however, was not declared illegal. The auction is slated for 2012, as confirmed in the reports of the Financieele Dagblad; before then, it’s business as usual for operators. The Dutch government is expecting to accumulate over €10 million from the auctioning of the licenses.

Already, opposition to the plan is springing forth from all over the country. The STIOGG, which is an online gaming foundation operating in the Netherlands expressed concerns about the auctioning of limited licenses. They added further that it would have been better if there were unlimited licenses to promote healthy economic growth. Online gambling operators will be submitting their petition for unlimited number of licenses to operate in Netherlands. They claim that the country’s plan is unfair and would be very undemocratic. They also reiterated that should there be freedom for online gambling operators to move freely without restraints, tax revenues could possibly reach billions of euros per year. Economic experts believe that it is not prudent for the government to auction limited licenses. They further added that while the country would a huge amount in licensing fees, in the long run, the country would be losing out in potential tax revenues. According to experts, limiting potential economic sources such as online gambling could prove to be a bad move . Drafts have been drawn for legislation and has been the primary task of the Dutch government as of the moment.

Whether or not the Dutch government will reconsider their plans for auctioning limited licenses is yet to be determined. However, one thing is clear: the gambling operators fully oppose the measure. Some analysts, however, have favored the government’s plans saying that they should guard the market from over saturation. The right amount of online casinos will produce as much as a bigger number if the market is already saturated. In this case, it would be better to auction limited license fees in order to further increase potential government earnings.

Meanwhile, the brick and mortar casinos of the country have also their fair share of issues. Holland Casino, which enjoys a monopoly of the industry has had several run ins with the country’s national audit office. According to the office, the casino is trying to expand its operations without considering the effects. The national audit office has previously warned the casino that if it carries on with its expansion, it will face several sanctions. The national audit office further stated that the casino should have focused more on combating the effects of gambling in the area, like funding programs that deal with gambling addiction services. The office has expressed its concerns that with the rate the casino is going, it would be detrimental to the society if it is left alone.

The Netherlands has always had gambling in their country, with citizens agreeing to such a system. However, with this unprecedented move, the government single handedly stirred an ant’s nest. People have shown growing concerns that the government is beginning to stifle the gambling markets. Opponents of the measure have reasoned out that just as the government does not impose limitations on other establishments like restaurants, hotels, malls, and more, so too should the gambling industries be left alone. The situation has caught the attention of the international media early on, because gambling has not usually been a common issue in the Netherlands. Onlookers expressed their confusion since the Netherlands has been enjoying regulated online gambling for years—limiting the industry now would be a curious move for the government. The two gambling issues have currently circulated around the country, generating a lot of buzz. The Dutch government has not released any official statement regarding the matter, because they claim that there is still no final decision on the measure as of yet.