New Bill Taxes Winners in Netherlands

One of the ideas that is coming out of pro online casino gambling community is that if the industry is properly taxed and regulated, that it could turn out to be a positive economic power. It seems completely logical that an entire new industry, especially one as large as online gambling, that is taxed properly could bring in a significant amount of extra money to the government. The Dutch senate has seen this angle in the debate and decided to clear a proposed taxation gaming bill this past week. Even the foreign online casinos are considered under the new bill, even though up until this point they have been considered illegal by the Dutch government. Any player that wins domestically or with a foreign online gambling site will have their earnings taxed as well.

Another aspect of the issue is that the Dutch government is a principal shareholder of Holland Casino, and the reason that the politicians favor the bill is to ensure that "illegal online gaming is not given advantage over gaming in the real world". This almost seems unfair to any online casino, but when has it been the characteristic of this business to ever play fair?

Earlier in the year there was an amendment proposed called the Dutch Betting and Gaming Act that the Dutch Senate rejected. This amendment would have given the Holland Casino the throne to being in power of online gambling in the Netherlands, making it nearly impossible for other online casinos to enter the market, based out of or foreign to the Netherlands. It was reported that the European Commission was going to step in and ensure that the EU principals of free movement of trade and services where being followed, if the bill was enacted.