Nouvelles de l'industrie - Pays-Bas

Holland Casino Hopeful of Re-Igniting Online Bill

28/04/2008: Visitor numbers are up, but spend per customer is down; times are clearly getting tougher for Dutch monopoly operator Holland Casino. It is therefore unsurprising the company is looking to diversify income, whether through more entertainment at its casinos or having another crack at getting online legislation included in a new gambling bill due in the summer.

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Dutch Minister Halts Online Casino Vote

06/02/2008: Minister of Justice Hirsch Ballin has postponed a scheduled Senate vote on a bill to grant a temporary, exclusive licence to Holland Casino to offer online casino gaming, amidst concern that the proposal was set to be rejected by Dutch Senators. The move comes less than a week after the European Commission chose to extend infringement proceedings against Sweden to include Svenska Spel’s online poker monopoly.

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Holland To Compile Online Gambling ‘Blacklist’

31/01/2008: Ahead of a crucial vote in the Dutch Senate that will determine whether Holland Casino will be granted a licence to develop online casino games, the Ministry of Justice has said that it is prepared to prosecute Dutch financial institutions that process payments for so-called ‘illegal’ gambling websites included on a blacklist of rogue sites to be drawn up by the Ministry.

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De Lotto Takes Aim At Unibet Over Amateur Football Betting

16/10/2007: The Dutch monopoly operator De Lotto says it has secured a court verdict last week against European online operator Unibet, following Unibet’s decision to offer betting on amateur football in Holland. However, the Wimbledon-based operator says it has no knowledge of the ruling.

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Exploring The Status Of Poker In Europe – Holland

11/09/2007: Although Dutch players are revered on the world poker scene, restrictive legislation in Holland limits opportunities for Dutch nationals to play the game outside of state-owned casinos.

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Dutch Leak Spotlights EU Infringement Debate

29/08/2007: The contents of a second letter of formal notice sent to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs by EU Internal Market Commissioner McCreevy’s office in March 2007 were leaked to the Dutch media last week. However, the circumstances of the revelations are indicative of a heightened state of tension over ongoing EU infringement proceedings, with a further case involving UK betting exchange Betfair due to be heard tomorrow.

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New Regulator But Familiar Policies Expected In Holland

07/08/2007: According to new legislation promulgated last week, the task of issuing gaming and betting permits and enforcing compliance will soon fall outside of the Ministry of Justice. However, while the Act is not without significance, observers suggest that Dutch policy on gambling will remain substantively the same.

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Dutch Court Verdict Gives Hope To Private Operators

25/07/2007: Drawing heavily on the ECJ’s recent Placanica decision, Holland’s highest court has raised severe doubts over the compatibility with European law of the country’s system for licensing domestic lottery operators. According to one observer, the precedent also bodes well for operators hoping to secure access to the Dutch betting market.

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