The Netherlands is the latest European country to legalize and regulate online gambling. The market is set to open to local operators in 2012 and will beginning accepting applications from international operators in 2015.
The changes to the country’s gambling industry have been put into place by the Netherlands new government. The party that was previously in power wanted to ban online gambling as a whole, so the regulation of the market will be a welcome change for online casino players in the country. It is a large shift that is going to take a great deal of work to implement, but the new government wants to approach the situation with a more liberal mindset.
The industry’s worth is estimated at about €10 million per year and it is believed that the market could generate even more revenue when international gambling companies begin operating in The Netherlands. A portion of the income has already been allocated towards sports and creating a gambling authority and regulator.
As it stands, Holland Casino operates a gambling monopoly in the Netherlands. With the new plans to open the gambling market in 2012, the monopoly will be disbanded and players will be able to choose from a wide range of local gambling operators.
