Best live dealer casinos for players from the Netherlands  

Background

The Netherlands is one of a number of EU Members looking to protect its hard line prohibition against foreign online gambling operators from European Commission ("EC") attempts to foster a single market.  Current laws (1964 Gaming Act and relevant amendments) provide that offering games of chance without a Netherlands issued license is prohibited. 

Until recently, prohibitions on foreign online gambling operators were only passively enforced by the government and left to locally licensed operators to prosecute.  More recently however, Netherlands authorities have announced intentions to take a more proactive approach to the law's enforcement with the Dutch Ministry of Justice warning banks they may be prosecuted for facilitating Dutch resident transactions to online gambling firms abroad.

In simple terms, the EC's position on online gambling is that EU licensed operators should be able to offer their product to all EU residents of countries that offer locally sanctioned/licensed gambling services.  Where protectionist measures are place to protect local monopolies, such measures are in breach of EU services law.  The Netherlands' position of restricting foreign gambling operators while permitting online betting at local monopoly operation De Lotto has led to the EC infringement proceedings.   The EC's first letter of notice to Netherlands authorities stated that the prohibition of games of chance not licensed in the Netherlands forms an unjustified restriction to the freedom to provide services (article 49 EC).

Like a number of other EU Members, the EC has threatened to take the Netherlands to the European Court of Justice if protectionist laws are maintained.  However in light of the recent ECJ ruling re online gambling in Portugal, such a threat by the EC may not carry the weight it once did.

[Update - December 20 2009]

Ruling on a case brought by Ladbrokes and Betfair against De Lotto, the ECJ Advocate General has supported the view espoused in Portugal's Bwin v Santa Casa that EU Members are able to enforce monopoly operator rights where such protections are in the public interest.  While not binding on the full court of the ECJ, the Advocate General's decisions are rarely overturned, suggesting Dutch player's may face a closed market for some time yet.

So what does all this mean for Netherlands players?  Well like UIGEA restrictions in the US, current Dutch laws and regulations are aimed at operators and facilitators (banks, ISPs) and not players.  However, while the act of gambling online with an operator other than De Lotto (which incidentally doesn't currently offer live dealers) is not illegal, accessing these websites and depositing may be problematic.

Best live casino for Dutch players

The below casinos offer Dutch language website and support capabilities.  Some offer toll free phone support for players from the Nederlands.  Most of these casinos also offer iDeal, a popular Netherlands payment method.

Casinos	Player access	Banking	Toll free support	Local language	Games
Read review   |  Visit	No restrictions on player sign-ups from Netherlands	No deposit restrictions and accepts iDeal	Yes	Full Nederlands language website and support capability	Asian based dealer room with large game range including Euro centric games
Read review   |   Visit	No restrictions on Dutch player sign-ups	No deposit restrictions Maintain account Euro €	No	Full Nederlands language website and support capability	European based dealer room with Euro centric games
Read review  |  Visit	No restrictions on German player sign-ups	No deposit restrictions Maintain account Euro €	No	Full Nederlands language website and support capability	European based dealer room with Euro centric games.

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