The Dutch market for online gambling, lotteries, poker, sports betting and bingo is to be opened up to other parties from 2015, under new government plans.

Part of the licence money will be spent on sports and a new gambling authority will be established to regulate the sector.
Outlining the plans to parliament, junior justice minister Fred Teeven said the aim is to create a ‘responsible, safe and modern gambling policy’.
At the moment, state-owned Holland Casino has a monopoly on gambling and foreign firms are not allowed to target Dutch gamblers. The government argues this allows it to tackling gambling addiction and keep out organised crime.
A relaxation of the current gambling laws was part of the coalition government agreement.
Some 200,000 Dutch nationals are thought to play poker online – which is technically illegal.
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