Teun Struycken, minister for legal protection in the Netherlands, has said the government is working on updated gambling policy and plans to present this to the country’s house of representatives in March next year.
Struycken made the comments while responding to questions from house member Michiel van Nispen. He was asked about issues related to land-based gambling including whether current policy is fit for purpose.
Van Nispen said the current Remote Gambling Act has led to strong competition in the Dutch online market. This, he said, has in turn created “undesirable financial incentives” within the sector.
However, Van Nispen said no competition exists in the land-based market as Holland Casino holds a monopoly. As such, Van Nispen questioned whether more, licensed, operators should be allowed to join this sector.
Struycken is working on policy to address this issue, as current law is based on a policy established in 2011. This, he said, could include measures related to competition in the land-based segment.
“By March 2025, I will send my vision on the future development and objectives of gambling policy,” Struycken said. “In this, I will include considerations regarding competition in the market.”
Could the state give up Holland Casino?
Van Nispen also questioned the state’s ongoing role with Holland Casino. The state owns Holland Casino but Struycken referenced an evaluation in May last year that concluded this is “not necessary”.
Struycken said giving up its holding would cost the state in terms of income, while it would also lose control over measures such as addressing gambling-related harm. However, he did not rule out the state stepping back and opening up the market.
“The evaluation also established that the added value of shareholding is not weighty enough that further exploration of other future options would be ruled out in advance,” he said.
Struycken also acknowledged the planned increase in gambling tax, with the government in talks with Holland Casino about the measure. A damning report warned the hike would cause significant losses for online operators and likely force Holland Casino to close branches or fold its online offering.
The state secretary for taxation and the tax and customs administration aims to inform the house about the developments at Holland Casino before the summer of 2025,” Struycken said.
More distinction between online and land-based gambling
On the back of this, Van Nispen raised an issue of clarity in the new policy. He asked whether it would make a clear distinction between online gambling and land-based gambling.
Struycken suggested the new policy will indeed do this, saying it is important to make clear the differences when addressing issues such as harm and the risks of each type of gambling.
“I will address the question of where I want to make a further distinction between different games of chance,” Struycken said. “An important aspect in this is the risk of addiction or other gambling-related harm that emanates from certain types of games of chance.”
He added: “I will return in the letter that I will send to the house for debate on 27 March on the way in which I view the policy and where I see reason for changes. Adjustments relating to the online gambling market have my priority.”
