Online Gambling Restricted

The conditions which the government wants to use to legalize online gambling from 2015 on, are too strict. This will cause that illegal sites will remain in the market, and this makes that gambling addiction can not be addressed properly. This says Robin Linschoten, president of the Foundation Online Gaming in Netherlands (STIOG) in response on plans of the government which were made public on Wednesday. The STIOG, which represents online gambling giants like Kroon Casino, Oranje Casino and Unibet, has tried to regulate online gambling for some years in the Netherlands. This puts the illegal providers, including many scammers, off the market. By estimation one million Dutch people gamble sometimes online. However, Linschoten thinks that the 20 percent tax that his branch members will have to pay is much too high. The fees for an addiction fund and mandatory fees for charities make a license in the Netherlands less attractive. “The government has calculated that a tax rate of 10 percent will lure more companies to the Netherlands and the Treasury will benefit much more with only 10 percent tax,” highlights the former State Secretary of Social Affairs. In the Netherlands we have an outdated Law on gambling and in fact online gambling doesn’t exist in the Netherlands. Companies now have licenses in Denmark, England and Malta. Registration of gambling addicts is also not a good idea according to the STIOG. Investigation learns that help, which their members provide, is more effective when people can stay anonymous. Linschoten hopes that his arguments will be included in the final proposal for a law.