EUROPE | Time to go Dutch for iGaming?
TIME TO GO DUTCH FOR iGAMING? An Expert Overview of the Netherlands Market Peter-Paul de Goeij and Wesley Kock discuss how to successfully launch in the Netherlands market. On 1 October 2021, the Netherlands opened its regulated online gambling market, clearing the way for players in the country to place legal sports bets and play casino games over the Internet. This has put the country in the spotlight of the entire iGaming industry. With an estimated 1.2 million active players, the territory could become one of the most important gaming markets in Eu-
rope. But venturing into this legislative territory in the making is no mean feat. This interview is with Peter-Paul de Goeij, Managing Director of the Netherlands online gambling association (NOGA), and Wesley Kock, Head of Hosting Sales at Internet Vikings. Together, they discuss how to equip and guide operators with the essential knowledge they need for a successful entrance into the Dutch market.
Peter-Paul de Goeij Managing Director at NOGA | Netherlands Online Gambling Association
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What we have seen is a two-staged opening whereby the existing land-based incumbents and a few new entrants have had the possibility to launch but the vast
Wesley: The Netherlands has been officially open to iGaming operators for a few months now. How can you assess the state of the market now? Peter-Paul: What we have seen is a two-staged opening whereby the existing land-based incumbents and a few new entrants have had the possibility to launch but the vast majority of international operators had to wait in a ‘cooling-off period’. The market initially opened with only a limited number of offers (below five operators in the first week). After a month, around eight of the ten initially licensed operators were live. Currently, the number of live operators stands at approximately 14. Now that the cooling-off period has ended on 1 April, it is expected that many more international operators will receive their licenses. A big issue during the startup phase from October 1st was that mainly the incumbent state-owned companies flooded the advertising market. This has led to a public outcry and action by Parliament calling for a ban on nontargeted
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advertising for online gambling, citing concerns about over-exposure to problem gamblers. But that is concerning for us, as an advertising ban really works against channelization and thus consumer protection. Advertising for the licensed offer plays a key role in channeling players away from illegal to legal offerings. Advertising is key to informing players. I believe that a ban on advertising would negatively affect channelization, which we hope to prevent. Wesley: How does the Dutch market compare to other European markets? Are there things to be learned / improved? Peter-Paul: Well, the market is new, so it is still evolving fast-paced. In comparison to other EU countries, we are the baby, Sweden is the toddler and Denmark is the grown-up parent. Denmark is where we aim to get to. How quickly we can achieve that depends on how regulation develops. The market is probably bigger than was realized. Currently, parliament is concerned that increasing (maybe too many) Dutch citizens started gambling and there
majority of international operators had to wait in a ‘cooling-off period’.
