Dutch Government Under Pressure
Published: Tuesday, December 20, 2005 Online-Casinos.com
DUTCH GOVERNMENT UNDER PRESSURE
EU and judiciary criticise monopoly moves on gambling
The Dutch authorities were under the spotlight this week by both the EU and its
own judiciary in two issues.
In the first, European Commission Vice President Gunter Verheugen penned
a warning that a plan to award Holland Casino with a three-year license to exclusively
operate games of chance over the Internet as part of a state monopoly could cause
trouble.
Verheugen's communication cautioned the Dutch against proceeding with a proposed
monopoly scheme for online games of chance, and advised that such a policy would
be incompatible with European Union regulations regarding freedom to provide
services in other member states. The Netherlands courts have been the scene
of bitter EU "sovereignty" litigation involving international betting
groups in the past.
The second case, a ruling from the Netherlands Administrative Court of Breda
has the potential to impact significantly on future gambling-related court rulings
and policy decisions by the Dutch government.
The case revolved around government's claim that its state monopoly on casino
gaming was coherent in achieving its intended goals. The court ruled that the
Dutch Ministers of Justice and Economic Affairs had failed to prove their case,
opening the way to further contest of the Dutch position that it has the right
to exclude betting companies from other EU states from doing business with its
nationals.
It is unknown whether the government intends to appeal the finding.
