Why you should only play at licensed online casinos
Dutch people love gambling. The movement to legalise online gambling in the Netherlands started in earnest in 2012, and licensed casinos were finally legalised and regulated in 2021. It was always viewed as a country that had great potential for a popular iGaming landscape, and this has come to pass. By legalising the market, players from the Netherlands have safer methods of playing their favourite casino games, have greater security, and choice, as competition and new brands entering the market have pushed innovation and standards ever higher.
The Remote Gambling Act
For such a popular pastime, online gambling has come a long way in the Netherlands. After some delays, the Dutch Remote Gambling Act (KOA) was passed in April 2021, and in November 2021 the licensed market was launched by the Dutch national regulator De Kansspelautoriteit (KSA). A series of regulations, tight rules, and series of penalties were introduced to ward off unlicensed operators and provide a stream of new iGaming brands that could be legally used by Dutch players.
The Dutch iGaming landscape
The last few years have seen a significant and fast rise in popularity for the iGaming landscape in the Netherlands, since the Remote Gambling Act came into force in 2021. The gross gaming result/revenue for the Dutch market in 2023 reached €4bn, which is an incredible 21.2% increase from the statistics for 2022. It is expected that there will be a continued growth over the coming years, and the number of young adults in the Netherlands engaging in online gambling is increasing year on year. Land based casinos in the country on the other hand, has seen a 19% increase since 2022, but the levels are still lower than 2019. There are 1.1 million active gamblers in the Netherlands currently.
Reasons to play at licensed online casinos
It’s important to look at a few of the reasons why you should only play at licensed online casinos. If you love playing slots, live casino, live blackjack, live poker poker, or gameshows, and you are looking for a new favourite casino to play at, look at these benefits and make sure that you only choose to play at an online casino that fits the bill and keeps you safe as a player.
Player safety
Player safety should always be a priority for any casino brand. A licensed casino has to pass strict regulations that include player safety. This includes the safety and security of player data, general information, and financial information. They must only collect, store, and process private information of players for a set period of time. Payment processes and financial transactions include banking information, bank card numbers, PINs, and passwords. A licensed casino provides peace of mind to a player that their personal and financial information is looked after safely and that they are playing on a platform that isn’t a scam or a fraudulent site. A licensed casino will also have a thorough identity verification process for new players.
Responsible gambling practices
A licensed online casino brand will work closely with organisations that promote responsible gambling. They must put in place clear and strict responsible gambling protocols that look after all players. This includes self-exclusion and potential breaks in play that allows players to choose a set break from the site, which can be a day, a week, a month, or even longer. If the casino detects a break in the process the player will be logged out. There are also payment limits that can be implemented, where players are only allowed to deposit a certain amount of money into their account or gamble to a certain level each day or week.
Fair gameplay
Modern, licensed online casinos ensure that all gameplay is fair and secure, and that all players are treated fairly. There should be no partiality for any player, and licensed online casinos use random number generators (RNG) for games such as slots. This helps to provide completely unpredictable results, every single time, with pure luck that cannot be manipulated.
Customer support
Another sign that you are playing at a licensed online casino is that you have access to good levels of customer support whenever you need it. Whether this is a query about payment and withdrawal methods, questions about specific games, or you want to be sure about responsible gambling protocols in place, 24/7 customer support via email, live chat and other methods provides a great peace of mind.
You can see how important it is to only play at licensed online casinos. The iGaming landscape prior to the Remote Gambling Act in the Netherlands was like the Wild West. Dutch players could find online casinos to play at and use VPN software to access casino brands from other countries, but there was no guarantee of your safety in terms of personal data, financial information, and there were no protections in place for responsible gambling. This meant that there were no guarantees that problematic gamblers and addictive behaviours were picked up and helped. Now that the world of legal, licensed online casinos is bigger than ever before, there is no excuse not to choose from some of the best Dutch online casinos around.
