Casino on Trial Basis in Holland
Published September 24, 2006 by OCR Editor
Dutch Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner is reported on trying to receive approval for a trial basis on online gambling. The Netherlands Parliament is seriously considering the new idea with the Minister reassuring that the trial application would only be
The idea is to give an exclusive for the trial license only to one Dutch casino, the state owned Holland casino ensuring it's monopoly to be the only gambling establishment to be recognized and legally permitted by the government. It is presumed that an estimated 300,000 people enjoy online gaming sites, hence a government would do wisely to utilize this great opportunity and direct the gamblers towards one site to the benefit of their country.
The Dutch are known for considering the benefits of being lenient on controversial issues, hoping that legalizing something takes away half of its appeal. So does the Dutch Minister, who claims that if the trial period results in a higher number of gamblers, the trial would be thought of as unsuccessful. The new site will be open to the wide public, limiting only the problematic age group of 18-23 by a weekly wagering amount of 100 euro. Gambling groups in other European countries maintain that the Dutch monopoly doesn't take in account the European free trade agreement. The Dutch government doesn't consent to that, and like most governments is trying to give close attention to their own countries interests.
