Netherlands strikes down bill that would have given Holland Casino online monopoly

Related Articles
The Netherlands will not give its own online gambling operator a monopoly on the Dutch market.
The Dutch parliament voted down on a bill that would give Holland Casino a license to provide all online gambling services in the country. The bill failed by just two votes.
According to pokerpages.com:
Holland Casino had been working for over a year on developing an online offering in cooperation with software provider CryptoLogic.
In February, the European Commission (EC) issued a final warning to Holland challenging their protectionist practices against foreign gambling operators to bring them into compliance with EU directives that give EU-based operators the free movement of goods and services between the 27 EU member countries (click here for related article). The EC’s challenge to Holland’s gambling monopoly was one of two main factors influencing the “no” vote.
The bill getting voted down in parliament may also have a side effect, according to the story. The Dutch government may use the vote — in which it denies an operator its own country — as further ammunition for protectionist practices when dealing with the EU.









