Casinos fail to curb gambling addiction
Monday 22 January 2007
Holland Casino, the government-owned company which operates the Netherlands' 14 legal casinos, does too little to combat addiction to gambling and keep out money launderers, TV show Zembla claimed on Sunday night.
Holland Casino was set up by the state over 30 years ago. By keeping casinos under state control, the government argued it could better control gambling addiction and keep out criminals.
However, Zembla interviewed a gambling addict, whose background was known to casino staff, but was nevertheless urged to carry on playing. The programme also uncovered a number of police files which showed the casinos were being used to launder money. Magazine Nieuwe Revu made similar claims last April
D66 MP Alexander Pechtold has urged justice minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin to take immediate action. His predecessor Piet Hein Donner refused to act on the Nieuwe Revu allegations.
Foreign casino operators are keen to set up in the Netherlands but the government has so far refused to grant them licences.
© DutchNews.nl
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