March 22 - The Dutch government announced this week that it intends making sweeping reforms to the country's online gambling laws.
The new coalition government, formed in October 2010, wants to introduce a licensing and regulatory program for internet gambling, which has been outlawed by previous governments.
An official with the new government said that one of the main reasons for this change of heart is due to the fact that hundreds of thousands of Dutch players already gamble online, irrespective of the laws.
The government hopes that by regulating the market, it will be able to oversee these online activities and benefit from the revenues in the process.
"It is a big shift," admitted a spokesman for the Dutch Ministry of Public Safety, Jaap Oosterveer. "But this is a new government with a more liberal approach."
Over the years, a number of top gambling groups such as Betfair and Ladbrokes have tried - unsuccessfully - to counter the Dutch online wagering ban, even reaching as far as the European Union Court of Justice.
They have argued that a regulated, open gambling market in the Netherlands will bring the country in line with other major European powers, such as France and Italy, as well as the UK and Austria.
Not only will the government be able to protect consumers from gambling addiction and fraud, it also stands to make a tidy sum for its own coffers from an industry that could generate at least €10 million a year.
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