In October of the same year, a month before the official launch of the licensed market, the Dutch national regulator De Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) outlined a new series of penalties and tighter rules against unlicensed operators.Īlthough only a year has passed since the introduction of the fully regulated market, the uptake has been quite impressive.
The Dutch Remote Gambling Act (KOA) was finally passed in April 2021. However, the Netherlands’ journey toward a fully regulated online gambling market was peppered with multiple delays, regime revisions, and millions of euros in fines levied against illegal operators along the way. Logically, the legalization and subsequent capitalization of online gambling, which would also put safeguards in place to protect gamers from fraud and underage gambling, seemed like an easy decision for the Dutch government to make. Back in 2012, it was believed the Dutch online gambling market had the potential to become one of Europe’s most lucrative gambling industries. It’s been more than a decade since the Dutch government took the first step toward regulating its online gambling market.
