Move to privatise Holland Casino extended

The move to privatise state-owned Holland Casino in the Netherlands has been postponed to 2020. The country’s justice minister Sander Dekker cancelled the vote for privatisation because of many objections that the measure suffered in the Senate.

The Financieele Dagblad said that senators are concerned about the fact that privatised casinos may encourage gambling and are worried about the way that the government was planning to proceed with the privatisation process, Dutch News informed.

The original plan included the selling of 10 of the 14 branches under the Holland Casino name, while the other four locations would be sold as a group. The cabinet from the Netherlands is also considering opening up the casino market to new providers and offer two licences.

Justice minister Dekker has until June to come up with a new proposal, present it to the senate and gain backing. “We may adapt the law, withdraw it altogether or go for a vote after all,” Dekker said in a note to senators.