New regulations for online gambling in the Netherlands

3 August 2020

On 1 January 2021, the time has come: the new Gambling Act in the Netherlands will come into force for online gambling. From this date, a lot will change for many online casinos. Many casinos have already registered to obtain a license to offer online gambling games legally.

After 50 years a new online gambling law

Online gambling has been popular for many years, but it is still not legal in the Netherlands. No wonder, because the last gambling law dates from 50 years ago, and that was well before the digital age. The name of this law is WOK, the Gambling Act. Since the internet was not yet available to the general public at the time, there is nothing in the law about online gambling. It is, therefore, necessary to amend the law to make the rules clearer for providers and players.

90 licenses as of 1 January 2021

In principle, the law was already approved in 2019, but the Netherlands would not be the Netherlands if it took a while before the law really came into effect. This means that the law will only apply from 1 January 2021, unless there are still reasons for a delay. The Gaming Authority has made 90 licenses available, which means that probably not all online casinos can be legalized immediately. The expectation is that there will be many more applications. However, several applications will be rejected anyway, because not all gambling companies will meet the conditions. That is less positive for the gambling companies in question, but positive for everyone who participates in gambling games. This gives the certainty of reliable gambling sites.

Are you not yet allowed to gamble online in the Netherlands?

The online casinos in the Netherlands are not yet allowed to offer casino games and sports betting. Although there are Dutch players who gamble online via international websites, this does not give you the certainty that the Dutch Gambling Act will provide in due course. It is often difficult to check whether a gambling site is really reliable. This must be clarified with the new licenses from the Dutch Gaming Authority. Online casinos that want to obtain a license will sometimes have to adjust their policy to the wishes of the Dutch government. It can take an online casino quite a bit of time and effort to comply with this, but at the same time, it naturally provides them with additional visitors.

If you want to gamble safely online, you can visit this website from 1 January 2021 for reliable bookmakers. All bookmakers and providers that we list on this site are supervised by the Gaming Authority and have the correct licenses. Have fun gambling!