Opposition to Dutch Gaming Bill grows
Dutch advisory body Council of State urges a rethink as decision to ban online lotteries until 2017 is condemned
Criticism of the draft Dutch Gaming Bill continues to mount after finer details of the legislation were released in supporting documents on Wednesday.
In a statement released yesterday (Thursday) the country’s senior advisory body the Council of State urged a rethink over several facets of the bill, particularly those relating to the 20% gross gaming revenue tax rate and additional contributions to a gambling addiction fund and the regulatory body.
It was revealed on Wednesday that gambling operators would have to pay an as-yet-undisclosed sum for a licence and comply with a number of stringent responsible gambling initiatives, while mandatory contributions to charitable causes may also be enacted.
The Council of State questioned whether the agreed tax rate would achieve the desired channelling of illegal gambling to licenced operators as soon as the regulatory structure comes into play next year, and has raised concerns over tariff differentiation between online and offline products, which are taxed at 29%.
The body also issued concerns over whether the proposed measures would achieve a “reliable, responsible and accountable provision of online gambling”, and has called for the proposals to be discussed to conclude whether the “method of regulation is not worse than the disease”.
Meanwhile the government’s decision to continue to prohibit international lottery operators from entering the market until 1 January 2017 has been labelled “unnecessarily late” by one source who chose not to be named. The source said this would allow the country’s domestic companies to develop an unassailable market lead.
There is also understood to be some confusion over whether the decision to delay the entry of lotteries and numbers games also includes bingo, with the government yet to clarify its position on the vertical.
Speaking to eGaming Review this morning Jan Suyver, chairman at the Kansspelautoriteit, did not respond to the opposition but said the regulatory body was satisfied with the Dutch Cabinet’s agreement on the gambling package.
This morning, 32Red CEO Ed Ware told eGR that the operator had gone “lukewarm” on plans to enter the Dutch market following the publication of the draft bill.