Dutch Minister shelves online casino bill for now
Posted on February 7, 2008 - Filed Under NEWS
Netherlands Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin recently took a rain check on the scheduled Senate voting for a bill granting an exclusive license to Holland Casino to offer online casino.
The Minister allegedly got hold of reports that the Dutch Senate would be swinging the axe against the bill which would grant temporary but exclusive license to Holland Casino.
It was reported that the Justice Minister immediately postponed the scheduled Senate vote on the abovementioned bill supposedly “amidst concern that the proposal was set to be rejected by the Dutch Senators.”
The move is said to be part of Minister Ballin’s campaign to bring down all gambling games proliferating over the Internet.
No permit sites
The Dutch Ministry of Justice has maintained his stand against these online casino games that have real-money gambling systems. The names of organizations illegally running online casino games are already furnished warning letters containing how they will be violating the provisions of the Dutch Betting and Gaming Act.
Also, the financial institutions in turn, will be also be furnished a copy of a list containing the names of these organizations that are marketing online casino games and other games of chance illegally on the Internet in the Netherlands.
The Dutch Betting and Gaming Act provides that it illegal for financial institutions to process transactions involving actual cold cash between these banned online casino games Internet sites and its Dutch citizens.
Minister Ballin is convinced that the provision of games of chance without permit is illegal in Netherlands , and thus, companies involved in Internet gambling must also be required to obtain a permit.
However, no casino gaming company in the Netherlands is currently given this necessary government permit to offer online casino games over the Internet.
Financial firms too
Reports disclosed that Justice Minister Ballin will not just be going after these online casino organizations, but also, against banks and other financial institutions as well. This particularly against those financial firms, which insist on processing transactions stemming out of these online gambling sites.
The website revealed how Minister Ballin and the cabinet are hoping that this move will eventually pave the way to cut down online gambling cravings especially majority of its bettors, the young people. “I am going to bring criminal charges against all banks that cooperate with such sites,” the Minister had warned during his latest announcement.
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