Dutch casinos to close until January 19
As part of an extensive lockdown aimed at lowering Covid-19 infection rates, all Dutch land-based casinos will remain closed until at least January 19.
The current lockdown includes schools, non-essential stores and all hospitality facilities – with the single exception of hotels.
Betway joins Dutch trade association NOGA
As the entry into force of the Dutch Remote Gaming Act – which is expected for March 1, 2021 – is coming closer, the Netherlands Online Gambling Association (NOGA) has added Malta-based Betway Group to its ranks.
“It is important that the industry unites and works together towards a successful market opening and a maximum channelization of consumers towards the legalized offer,” the association said in its press release.
Peter-Paul de Goeij, Managing Director of NOGA, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Betway into our midst. We also see it as a clear sign that more and more operators see the advantage of joining NOGA in the run-up to the opening of the online market in the Netherlands.”
Roger Parkes, Director of Compliance and Regulatory Affairs at Betway, added: “We are delighted to join NOGA. We feel sure that NOGA will provide the support for the industry and reassurance to the regulator that will lead to a successful regulated Dutch market.”
Upcoming events
The following events may be of interest to the GiH community.
Events
SiGMA Europe has been rescheduled to 13 – 15 April, 2021.
ICE London 2021 will now take place 29 June – July 1, 2021, with the co-located iGB Affiliate London taking place 1 – 2 July.
iGB Live 2021 has also been moved to 28 September – 1 October, 2021, but will still take place in Amsterdam!
Webinars
Mindway AI has published an on-demand webinar on player profiling and efficient responsible gaming interventions.
Join the iGaming Next Power Hour every Friday @3pm CET for a short, compact, educational and social weekly digital gathering with some of the brightest and most connected minds of the industry.
Netherlands Gambling Authority opens test environment for national exclusion register (CRUKS)
Starting this week, all interested land-based and online operators are invited to access a test environment where they can test the integration between their game systems and CRUKS, the Dutch national exclusion register.
From September 1, 2021 – the expected opening date of the regulated Dutch online market – all licensed operators must check the exclusion status of every player before giving access to their online or land-based playing environment.
Initial testing of the system began last month with a limited number of operators.
Other news
The Dutch Council of State has finalized its legally mandated advice on the secondary legislation (AMvB) that is to accompany the Remote Gaming Act. The advice has not yet been published.
Björn Fuchs, Chief Digital Officer at Janshen-Hahnraths Group, looks back at his first 100 days in charge of the operator’s digital division.
Due to a sharp decrease in visitor numbers during the Covid-19 pandemic, Holland Casino is expected to cut a yet unknown number of jobs.
The Belgian Gaming Commission has committed to strengthening safer gambling initiatives and could potentially ban betting advertising on “certain stages” of sporting matches.
The Swedish government’s Gambling Market Inquiry has called for a blanket ban on gambling advertising during daytime hours.
However, Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS) believes the Swedish Gambling Market Inquiry’s recommendations to propose further restrictions on the country’s gaming market will “lead to a deterioration in consumer protection.”
Entain – formerly known as GVC Holdings – has reiterated its intention to be live in 20 US states by the end of 2021.
Hard Rock International announced the launching of Hard Rock Digital, a joint venture that will serve as its vehicle for both sports betting and online gambling.
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