Forcing Them Out
The Dutch government has announced plans to stop illegal online casinos gambling
in the Netherlands… which is all fine and dandy except for the fact that the new
legislation and efforts would fly in the face of efforts from the European
Commission to stop online casinos gambling monopolies. A spokesperson for the
Justice of Ministry substantiated the recent media news concerning the newly
proposed legislation. The proposed legislation that would effectively stop
foreign online casinos from operating in the Netherlands is actually quite
similar to the controversial legislation in the United States that also attempts
to use banks to stop accepting and processing financial transactions with the
internet gambling sites.
The Dutch gambling market has remained unregulated concerning online casinos
gambling companies for the most part, and the recent interest from a state-run
land gambling monopoly, plus extensive publicity on the issue has contributed to
the government’s awareness and emphasis on altering and strengthening the
current legislation.
The spokesperson for the Justice Ministry commented on the current state of
online casinos in the Dutch gambling market, “It is illegal to offer gambling
services in the Netherlands without a permit. These companies know they break
the law.” The newly proposed legislation would specifically target roughly 50
online gambling companies currently accepting Dutch players. The spokesperson
went on to comment specifically that Unibet, based out of Sweden, and the Oranje
Casino Dutch gambling site were on the list of banned sites that will go to the
banks and other Dutch financial institutions.
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