Online gambling operators that have been sanctioned by Dutch gaming regulators will have to serve an unspecified ‘time out’ before being allowed to apply for licenses under the new regulated market.

On Thursday, the Netherlands Minister for Justice and Security Sander Dekker said that internationally licensed online gambling operators that have been penalized by the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) regulatory body would be ineligible to operate in the country’s liberalized market, at least, not at the start of the new regime.

In July, Dekker (pictured) pushed back against the KSA’s wish to permanently exclude sanctioned operators from acquiring new Dutch licenses, saying that denying Dutch punters the right to access sites with a “reliable reputation” would negatively impact the government’s desire to ‘channel’ gamblers to locally licensed operators.

However, speaking at a Thursday meeting of the Permanent Committee for Justice and Security, Dekker said that, while a permanent ban would be “legally disproportionate” to sanctioned operators’ alleged crimes, the KSA should nonetheless develop a policy that excludes sanctioned operators from the regulated market for a yet-to-be-determined period.