The Netherlands Launched the Regulated Gambling Market

The virtual gambling law was passed in the Netherlands in October 2021. Since then, virtual gambling in all its forms is available to Dutch players including casino games, sports betting, and virtual lotteries.

From the turn of the millennium until late, 2021 the grey market was booming in the Netherlands serving online players without any censorship and without paying any taxes either! But now unlicensed foreign gambling sites are threatened with hefty fines or lifelong bans.

To date, more than 20 gambling sites have been licensed in the Netherlands. However, there is still a long way to go to catch up with the industry after a twenty-year stagnation and refusal to keep pace with development, the new market is still fraught with challenges or, as the Dutch Gambling Commission officials put it, “we always have to stay ahead of technical developments.”

It seems that the beginning of the legal gambling era in the Netherlands was not a “huge bang” for the industry. So far, twenty companies have applied for a legal license to operate in the country! It seems that all operators are focusing on another broad promising market, the USA, and it is likely that more states will legalise online gambling in the next two years.

Moreover, the passage of Dutch gambling law until October 1, 2021, has been held up by the development of the KSA’s KSA Self-Exclusion Program (Cruks). This is the Dutch version of the British GamStop and is an optional self-exclusion scheme that allows players prone to gambling addiction to stop gambling for one year to forever. During self-exclusion, players will not wish to participate in any licensed site within the Netherlands.

Best gambling sites in the Netherlands

There is a limited selection of licensed casinos in the Netherlands, but they are still perplexing.

All these sites have their own range of online games and offer different gaming options. As a result, it may be, especially if you are not yet an experienced online gambler, you can’t pick the best one and have difficulty choosing a good and reliable gambling site. Because what exactly are the best gambling sites in the Netherlands? Fortunately, you don’t have to answer this question all by yourself.

There is more than enough information to be found online about the various online gambling sites in the Netherlands on the reviewing portals and players’ feedback platforms.

The advantages and disadvantages of the various providers of online gambling in the Netherlands are accurately compared on various websites and you can also read user experiences from other online gamblers.

If you are in doubt about where you will gamble online, read the reviews of the gambling sites and consider what you think is important when gambling online. In addition, there are several points to keep in mind when choosing a gambling site, namely:

The diversity of games

What are the available games at the casino? Check in advance whether your favourite games are available at the online casino you have chosen and whether there is enough variety of your preferred variants on the online casino.

The cashier section

The cashier section does not look as attractive as the games library or bonus package. However, it can make or break the casino. Simply put, if the casino does not support the common payment solutions, players will not be able to deposit and withdraw their funds. Therefore, the casino should offer a wide range of payment options including bank cards, e-wallets, digital currencies, and prepaid cards. There are additional features that the casino should not overlook as well including transaction limits, processing times, and no extra fees for players’ deposits and withdrawals.

The live casino options

Does the provider have the option to play in an online live casino? If you would like to play online in a ‘real’ casino, this is something you should pay attention to.

Sports betting options

Do you like betting on sports competitions? Some gambling sites offer sports betting options and online casino games under one roof. You can also check this feature in advance before creating an account on the site.

The Welcome Bonuses

The welcome bonuses can vary greatly between the different online casinos. An attractive welcome bonus is of course a nice extra for every online player! So take a good look at the welcome bonus that is offered before you choose a particular online casino to play in.

Safe online gambling in the Netherlands

To ensure that you can gamble safely online in the Netherlands, the Dutch Gaming Authority (KSA) monitors not only the ‘regular casinos’ in the Netherlands but also the Dutch online gambling market. In order to be active as a Dutch online gambling site, the online casinos must meet various strict requirements and rules, which have been drawn up by the KSA. The KSA ensures that the range of Dutch gambling sites only consists of reliable, transparent and safe providers so that you can play all your favourite games online with peace of mind.