As anticipated, the Dutch Senate held a vote yesterday on its Remote Gambling Bill. The results are in and the process of issuing online gambling licenses will begin sometime during the middle of next year. It took over three years, but at least the bill has survived.

The lower house of the Dutch Parliament approved the bill about three and a half years ago and the Senate has now given its approval, as well. The country will begin to restructure the online gambling market in the country in order to allow international online gambling operators to submit license requests from the Kansspelautoriteir, the country’s regulator, and to enter a new regulated market.

Analysts have indicated that the licensing process should begin sometime in the middle of next year, with the new regulatory organization beginning on January 1, 2021. This is certainly going to draw a lot of attention from a number of operators who have been waiting – mostly impatiently – for progress to be made in the country.

The Netherlands is an attractive market for online gambling operators. This is due primarily to the popularity of betting activity in the country, which saw an increase of 20% in gambling between 2016-2018 compared to the two years prior.