Online Sports Betting in Netherlands Permitted with Match Fixing Restrictions

The government of Netherlands is going to permit online sports gambling, but bar match fixing by strict rules. This decision followed from last year’s legislative proposal on online sports gambling regulation.

Betting on sporting events via the state-owned De Lotto and on ongoing matches was the only form of gambling allowed for the Dutch till now. Officials expect the Remote Gaming Bill to be passed and become a law in 2017. People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and Labor Party (PvdA) – the coalition parties forming the Dutch cabinet – have given their consent to online sports gambling so long as it abides by specific requirements.

“Limiting gambling opportunities in this way is a profit for the sport. The important thing is that not criminals, but players on the field, determine how the match plays out. And these proposals contribute to that…We are very supportive of these restrictions and we are pleased that these parties comply with our wishes,” said Jijs de Jong, operational director of KNVB, the Dutch football association.

Online sports betting in Netherlands is going to be banned in case the propositions are easily maneuverable by one player, for example betting on a red card in a football match or on a double fault in tennis. Betting on amateur and friendly matches during training camps abroad will also remain forbidden, as games that give little to no pay make players “more susceptible to bribery and match fixing”. VVD parliamentarian Jeroen van Wijngaarden said, “These are game elements that are so easy to manipulate that we do not want to allow it.”

Approximately 437,000 Dutch residents gamble online at present, according to gaming regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA). Most of them are men between the ages of 20 to 35, 44% of whom have a college or university degree, while just 28% of the overall Dutch population holds such a degree. Netherlands’ online gambling sector is predicted to be worth €296 million this year, increasing 7.6% from last year’s €275 million.