The new Dutch coalition government has caused some excitement this month when they revealed that they will overturn the old Internet gambling ban. They have promised to make a reform on the existing gambling legislation.
Over the past year, there has been much controversy in the area of online gambling and the casino software providers are delighted with the reports that are now emerging.
The former Dutch government was in strong opposition of online gambling for the benefit of public interest. The new government is showing a vastly different opinion with a statement having been released on behalf of the new government confirming that the government would make reforms on the existing legislation.
Jaap Oosterveer, a spokesman for the Dutch ministry of public safety and justice said, "It is a big shift [in policy], but this is a new government with a more liberal approach." The reform would be made in an effort to give new domestic licenses for offshore casino software sites.
A slew of high profile controversies have surfaced in recent months with regards to anti online gambling legislation. The Dutch government supported its position all the way to the court of the European Union while it defended itself against an accusation by a leading online betting site for violations on the terms of the EU's open trade laws.
There are those who are hoping that Holland will be able to look forward to the same online gambling services as are available in France, Austria, Britain, Sweden and Italy.
Fredrik Teeven, state secretary of security and justice claimed in a letter to the Dutch parliament that hundreds of thousands of Dutch gambled online despite the country's laws and that a reform in the law would allow more oversight of the industry. He continued on that while customers should have attractive options available to them, safeguards would need to be put into place to prevent gambling addiction and fraud. He also addressed issues such as competition in the gambling industry (which is currently monopolized by casino operator, Holland Casino) and the transparency of the licensing system for lotteries.