Dutch Minister Plans New Gambling Policy by March 2025
Teun Struycken, minister for legal protection in the Netherlands, has said the government plans to present its updated gambling policy to the 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 and in turn created “undesirable financial incentives.”
However, Van Nispen said no competition exists in the land-based market as Holland Casino holds a monopoly.
Struycken is working on a policy to address this issue, as current law is based on a policy established in 2011. This could include measures related to competition in the land-based segment.
Should UK Operators Check Suppliers Aren’t Supporting the Black Market?
In a speech addressing gambling industry CEOs in November, U.K. Gambling Commission (UKGC) CEO Andrew Rhodes advised licensed operators to carry out due diligence against their third-party suppliers to ensure they aren’t supporting illegal or black-market activity.
The measure is part of a wider regulatory effort to stamp out the growing black market activity in the U.K.
Rhodes’ comment caught the attention of many in the sector, particularly as it seemed to suggest that operators should take some of the regulatory enforcement efforts into their own hands.
Richard Williams, partner at U.K. law firm Keystone Law, told iGB it would be “incredibly difficult” for licensed U.K. operators to carry out in-depth regulatory checks on all their suppliers.
“I think it’s incredibly difficult for licensed operators to bring that pressure to bear on the suppliers, other than just asking a simple question,” he said.
Trade body representatives from both Germany and Sweden agree it is ultimately the regulator’s role to ensure stakeholders are fully compliant within their licensed market.
Simon Priglinger-Simader, vice president for Germany gambling trade body Deutscher Online Casino Verband (DOCV) noted, “It shouldn’t be up to the licensed operators to check all their suppliers’ activity, it should be on the regulator.”
Priglinger-Simader believes more countries should adopt a B2B licensing system to help mitigate the issue of supplier black market activity.
Sweden Government Confirms Country Will Sign Macolin Convention
Sweden is to join the Council of Europe’s Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions, also known as the Macolin Convention.
Sweden first announced its intention to join the convention in October last year, with several ministers declaring their support. The government has now confirmed it will proceed with these plans.
In declaring its support, Sweden became the thirteenth European Union country to ratify the Macolin Convention.
The convention remains the only international legal framework on match-fixing and sports manipulation. It sets out a framework for public authorities to cooperate with sports governing bodies, betting operators and competition operators to prevent, detect and sanction match-fixing.
It defines “illegal sports betting” as “any sports betting activity whose type or operator is not allowed under the applicable law of the jurisdiction where the consumer is located.”
EGBA Urges Austria to Scrap Online Gambling Monopoly For Multi-Licensing System
Alongside Poland, Austria is one of just two European Union member states that does not permit multi-licensing for online casino gaming.
The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) said this approach is “outdated” and “actively undermines” consumer protection, regulatory oversight and tax generation.
Setting out its concerns in more detail, EGBA raises the issue of a “thriving” black market in Austria. Here, the organization says thousands of players gamble on unregulated websites beyond the reach of protection measures or government oversight.
EGBA added that a monopoly system leaves hundreds of millions in potential tax revenue uncollected. Research by the Austrian Association for Betting and Gambling suggests multi-licensing could generate $1.04 billion in additional tax revenue by 2030.
As such, it is calling on Austria’s government negotiators – Karl Nehammer, Andreas Babler and Beate Meinl-Reisinger – to consider regulatory reform.
Gambling Commission Appoints Counsell as Interim Chair
The U.K. Gambling Commission (UKGC) has appointed Charles Counsell OBE as its interim chair following last month’s announcement that Marcus Boyle was stepping down from the role.
Boyle is due to leave the commission on Jan. 31, 2025 after more than three years as chairman. Counsell will commence his nine-month term the following day, as confirmed by the regulator on Dec. 18.
An experienced executive, Counsell has been senior independent director at the commission since April 2024. He first joined the regulator in September 2023 as a non-executive director.
