International Betting Integrity Association Responds to Dutch Remote Games Regulation

The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has responded to the draft regulation from the Netherlands that implements the Remote Games of Chance Act.

The association welcomes the decision to license and regulate online betting, but has concerns regarding the effectiveness of the proposed regime in the Netherlands. The association said that the concerns include the underlining reasoning and impact of the proposals to restrict consumers from engaging in, and licensed operators from offering, certain sports betting products.

The draft regulations comprise a number of provisions which will serve to restrict the availability of betting products to Dutch consumers. This includes a range of bets deemed “inherently unsuitable for betting because, given the nature of the bets, they pose a risk to the integrity of the sport. This concerns negative events and events that are easy to manipulate.”

IBIA said that imposing product restrictions on Dutch licensed operators do not make it any less likely that the sporting events in that licensing jurisdiction will be any safer from betting corruption. It also explains that the available data do not justify the regulatory position taken by the Dutch authorities.