Dutch Online Gambling Market to Open Up by 2015
The Netherlands gambling monopoly will be coming to an end, it was announced on Wednesday.
Foreign i-Gaming firms will soon be permitted to operate under strict licensing guidelines.
And…as one might suspect….there will be a tax imposed on licensees.
From DutchNews.com:
The proceeds of online gambling will also be subject to a lower tax rate of 20%, compared with the 29% Holland Casino and arcade owners have to pay. The lower tax rate is to ensure new entrants are encouraged to set up in the Netherlands.
The coalition agreement signed by the VVD and PvdA included the liberalisation of the online gambling sector. The current laws date back 50 years, before the advent of internet.
The draft proposals also state the licence holders will have to contribute to a special fund to help gambling addicts. In addition, there will be a national register of players who break self-imposed limits and will be banned from playing.
Despite its reputation as a liberalized nation, Holland has been among the most austere when it comes to allowing Web gambling over the past few years.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
