Ahead of Dutch Remote Gambling Act SSV and IBIA Partner Up to Address Betting

Ahead of introducing a Remote Gambling Act the Dutch trade association and online gambling advocate, Stichting Speel Verantwoord (SSV), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) to create and establish a secure regulated betting market.

The Dutch Remote Gambling Act is expected to see the market open to regulated online gambling by mid-2021. This is great news for operators who have been waiting for the Netherlands to regulate so that they can once again offer customer support in Dutch and begin to market via local online and above the line media channels.

  Setting The Standard

SSV realises that current Dutch laws need to be carefully reviewed and integrated into any system that is put in place to oversee betting in the Netherlands, this is where the IBIA’s experience comes into play.

Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA said:

“Dutch law presents providers with a number of opportunities and challenges regarding bet availability and related integrity issues. Together with SSV, we will pursue a successful and close collaboration with the regulator, policy makers and other stakeholders in the Netherlands. We will put the important points on the agenda and thus contribute to the success of the market opening.”

Covering these bases now ensures that no loopholes exist in the future which can be used to exploit consumers, individual sports stars, sports teams and gambling operators.

 One Last Hurdle

Channelisation is a key indicator of success when it comes to online gambling regulation, as it proves what percentage of local players are successfully being funnelled into licenced casinos versus those choosing to gamble at offshore casinos.

At the moment the Dutch Integrity Law is a point of concern as it limits certain gambling products and games, which should be covered by the Remote Gambling Act, causing a conflict and perhaps making the local market less appealing to players.

Peter-Paul de Goeij, director of SSV said:

“While both industry organizations [IBIA and SSV] welcome the opening up of the market, the Integrity Law imposes a number of restrictions on certain betting products. These restrictions have been questioned by both SSV and IBIA. We are concerned about the negative impact of the restrictions on the channeling to legal offerings and the related viability of the market.”

The hope of the MoU is that with the resources, insights and weight of the IBIA and SSV working on joint projects to create a stable gambling platform in the Netherlands they will be able to address the issues created by the Integrity Law and establish a viable regulated market with exceptional channelisation rates. In doing so they will ensure improved player security and the country will see the benefit of increased revenue.