A draft of secondary regulations for the Dutch iGaming market has been submitted for review by industry stakeholders, who have until mid-September to respond.
The draft regulations include confirmation of the license fee of €45,000 (US$50,135) with an €8,000 charge for amendments to standing licenses. Each applicant will be scrutinized by the Dutch gaming regulatory body, Kansspelautoriteit for past violations of gaming laws around the world.
Player protections are part of the proposed regulations, including one that mandates that players cannot lose more than their original stake and another that precludes them from betting on more than one game at a time.
Licensees must also inform players “in an appropriate, clear and understandable manner” with regards to bonuses. Bonuses cannot be offered while a player is gambling, and customers must have the option to opt out of bonuses.
Moreover, responsible gaming practices must be observed, with staff trained to spot signs of problem gambling, match-fixing and other irregularities. License-holders may suspend players for up to six months, either as a result of potentially criminal behavior or signs of problem gambling, and must respond to all player complaints within 72 hours, according to media reports on the regulations.
All gambling advertising must carry information about responsible gambling, while individual athletes cannot be hired to promote gambling.
According to CDC Gaming Reports, certain bet types such as win/loss markets for individual games and sets in tennis and markets on fouls, first throw-in, corner or card for football matches, will be prohibited.
In addition, 10 percent of revenues generated from betting on horse racing must be reinvested in the sport.
All these proposed regulations come well ahead of the launch of iGaming in the country; the KSA expects the online market to open for business on January 1, 2021. The Remote Gaming Act will take effect in July 2020, after which the KSA will begin processing license applications. So far, 183 companies have expressed their interest in the market.
