The extra ‘punishment’ period for online operators who previously targeted Dutch players will also be extended by one month.
In the same letter, Minister for Legal Protection Sander Dekker said: “Earlier I informed you that I am aiming for entry into force on 1 March 2021. This was also considered feasible because a great deal is already known to all parties involved about the content of legislation and secondary legislation. It is clear that the public interests of games of chance policy are best served with rapid entry into force.”
“Although the implementation is proceeding energetically, it has now become clear to all involved that careful implementation takes a little more time. For this reason, we shall postpone entry into force of the Koa Act by one month until 1 April 2021, so that the KSA and the gambling sector have sufficient opportunity to complete its preparations. The opening of the market will then take place on 1 October 2021.”
The minister highlighted that experience from other online gambling markets don’t indicate there will be any impact on lottery revenues.
Initially, KOA was scheduled to enter into law on 1 July 2020, with the market to open six months later at the start of 2021. However, in November 2019, the act’s start date was pushed back six months, meaning the market would open on 1 July 2021.
In September 2020, the launch was pushed back again, with the date the act was set to come into effect moved to 1 March 2021, after preparations to launch had been disrupted by the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The latest delay is the third, and means the law is now set to come into force nine months later than originally planned.
Source: GMB
