Dutch bankers must cut ties with online gambling
AFTER MAKING ONLINE GAMBLING illegal in Holland last month, Dutch authorities, on a roll, have now ordered Dutch banks to stop servicing illegal Web casinos.
The move was confirmed by a not particularly mellow Justice Ministry spokeswoman, who also noted that banks in Holland had been asked to freeze financial services to between 30 and 50 illegal gaming companies, of whom Unibet (a Swedish company) and Holland’s home-grown Oranje Casino were but two.
Much to Brussels’ chagrin, Holland is still holding out against EU efforts to push online gambling to its citizens, in a bid to promote increased market competition. The British have already opened up to almost every kind of online gambling, but the Netherlands has long held out, allowing only the national Dutch lottery to offer cyber gaming.
Last month a bill that would have allowed gaming operator Holland Casino to open a gambling web site on a trial basis was smacked down in a tight 35-37 vote by Holland’s upper house, even after the lower house had passed it back in 2006.
Holland says it’s worried about the potentially detrimental effect of gambling addictions on its population, who have access to all the legal marijuana and prostitutes they can stomach. The government isn’t worried about them getting addicted to drugs or sex apparently.
More likely, the Dutch government is concerned that the lucrative online gaming industry, which Merrill Lynch has estimated could reach $48 billion by 2010, would be a blow to state betting monopolies which would probably lose money as a result.
The Justice Ministry spokeswoman also told Reuters that files on illegal gambling firms were being drawn up in order to pass them round to the public prosecutor who would bring them to court. If that isn't pointing the Dutch finger, then what is?
AFTER MAKING ONLINE GAMBLING illegal in Holland last month, Dutch authorities, on a roll, have now ordered Dutch banks to stop servicing illegal Web casinos.
The move was confirmed by a not particularly mellow Justice Ministry spokeswoman, who also noted that banks in Holland had been asked to freeze financial services to between 30 and 50 illegal gaming companies, of whom Unibet (a Swedish company) and Holland’s home-grown Oranje Casino were but two.
Much to Brussels’ chagrin, Holland is still holding out against EU efforts to push online gambling to its citizens, in a bid to promote increased market competition. The British have already opened up to almost every kind of online gambling, but the Netherlands has long held out, allowing only the national Dutch lottery to offer cyber gaming.
Last month a bill that would have allowed gaming operator Holland Casino to open a gambling web site on a trial basis was smacked down in a tight 35-37 vote by Holland’s upper house, even after the lower house had passed it back in 2006.
Holland says it’s worried about the potentially detrimental effect of gambling addictions on its population, who have access to all the legal marijuana and prostitutes they can stomach. The government isn’t worried about them getting addicted to drugs or sex apparently.
More likely, the Dutch government is concerned that the lucrative online gaming industry, which Merrill Lynch has estimated could reach $48 billion by 2010, would be a blow to state betting monopolies which would probably lose money as a result.
The Justice Ministry spokeswoman also told Reuters that files on illegal gambling firms were being drawn up in order to pass them round to the public prosecutor who would bring them to court. If that isn't pointing the Dutch finger, then what is?
pinnacle.