Dutch online casinos for Real Money

The Netherlands formally moved to legalise gambling back in 1964. This law also applies to the Netherlands’ independent territories, including Aruba, Curacao, and Sint Maarten. Of course, Curacao has a different idea when it comes to the legality of gambling. The original gambling law, known as the Wet op de Kansspelen (Betting and Gaming Act) makes it clear that the Holland Casino Group has a de facto monopoly. A dozen casinos in the Netherlands all fall under their ownership and jurisdiction. The Nederlandse Loterij has its own monopoly, and this extends to “lottery-like” games to boot.

When it comes to online gambling, things have changed rapidly. Gambling wasn’t regulated until 2021. Prior to that, the Dutch government deemed gambling illegal because it meant competition to their monopolies. However, that didn’t sit well with the European Union. To try and skirt their way around this, the Netherlands decided to award digital gambling licenses to the monopolies. Even then, this was incompatible with EU law. In 2021, the Dutch changed their laws for good with the passing of the Wet Kansspelen op Aftstand (Remote Gambling Act).

This 2021 law sets out that any operator can apply for a gambling license in the Netherlands. However, only casinos and sportsbooks that apply for a license can cater to players in the EU country. This is compliant with EU law, so any operator that hasn’t obtained a license is blocked by the Netherlands’ internet service providers. The monopolies still have full jurisdiction when it comes to land-based betting, and they still run online betting sites. However, they have competition in the digital sector at long last, giving Dutch players more than a handful of alternatives to choose from if they wish.

The Dutch Gambling Authority (Kansspelautoriteit), or the KSA has the power to issue gambling licenses to companies. Moreover, it regulates all businesses and sites that have acquired licenses. Digital gambling licenses only really became a thing in October 2021, so many operators are still finding their feet when applying for a Dutch gambling license. Even the monopolies must adhere to the rules issued by the KSA.

Offshore casinos that haven’t acquired a KSA license are illegal, and most are blocked by the Dutch internet service providers when found. However, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to use a VPN to get around those blocks, which some Dutch players do. Technically, you’re breaking the law by playing at these “unlicensed” and “unregulated” sites, but the powers that be in the Netherlands won’t prosecute Dutch citizens and residents who decide to gamble online.

Players in the Netherlands can technically bet on anything they want. All forms of gambling are legal (apart from blood sports and those which feature animal cruelty). Sports betting is immensely popular in the country, especially wagering on football. Casino games are also popular, with many Dutch players regularly playing slot machines or trying their hand at table games. Lottery games have a distinct following, too. Live dealer games aren’t quite as popular in the Netherlands as they are in other countries, but the market is growing.

The Netherlands used to be home to Sheriff Gaming. However, that provider’s demise means that there isn’t a major casino software provider coming from the Netherlands present in the online casino world. Most of the smaller scale ones seldom offer their titles outside of their home country.

Netherlands-licensed casinos are technically only supposed to accept players residing in the Netherlands. As this figure also includes many expats, many Dutch betting sites can also be played in English. When we look at Netherlands-facing casinos that are based offshore, almost anyone can join those.

Many top casinos (including those in neighbouring Belgium) offer gameplay in Dutch, and as mentioned, the euro is widely available currency at many casino sites, so there’s no issue there, either. You may need a VPN to access these foreign sites, though, as they tend to be blocked by the Netherlands ISPs. Fortunately, the number of legal, Netherlands-licensed, and regulated sites is on the rise, so Dutch players have plenty of approved options in front of them.