Gambling has been operational in the Netherlands for many years. One of the country's oldest lotteries has been active since 1726, known as the Staatsloterij. Yet, the Netherlands has also provided a gambling market that protected its citizens over those years, with very strict gambling laws and rules in place. For many years, the scene has been dominated by large national operators of gambling products, such as the Holland Casino and the popular Postcode Loterij.
An independent Dutch government body, the College van Toezicht op Kansspelen was founded and set up in 1996 to regulate the country's gambling industry. This body's prime focus was to ensure that all of its licensees were complicit with Dutch law on gambling. In April of 2012, it became the task of the Dutch Gambling Authority and they took over regulating gambilng regulations.
As the Netherlands' authority on preventing gambling addiction and protecting vulnerable people and minors, the Dutch Gambling Authority incorporated stringent rules to help protect players.
Remote Gambling Act in 2014
Things continued in this same way for several years until the Remote Gambling Act was penned in 2014. That only passed into the lower house court in 2016, taking some time for the state senate to approve it. Through that Act, stricter laws can be placed on offshore unlicensed casinos.
Many companies have targeted Dutch players throughout the years, despite not possessing an official licence. According to the legislation, a hefty fine of up to €820,00 can be handed out to operators providing their services illegally in Holland.
The Act was eventually approved and came into effect in April of 2021 meaning operators could apply for licences to operate legally within the country under the new laws. Within the first two weeks, 29 applications were submitted to the Gaming Authority.
All those European casinos being provided with an official licence following the submission of an accepted application were able to start serving the Dutch market on October 1.
Netherlands Gaming Authority (KSA)
Kansspelautoriteit, or the KSA, is the regulatory body that oversees gambling in the Netherlands. It is also now the responsibility of the KSA to issue remote gambling licences to those operators that meet the necessary qualifications when applying.
In 2016, the regulatory body was forced to halt the proceedings with the approval of the Remote Gambling Act, thanks to the fact that there were splits when it came to deciding on the final tax arrangements. The protection of state-owned gambling operators was also an issue that needed to be worked out before things could proceed further.
The three years of deliberation over those issues came to a close in 2019 when the Dutch Senate finally approved the casino legislation.
This was also given the support and approval of Dutch Legal Protections Minister Sander Dekker. The Kansspelautoriteit announced the selection of 10 operators who had been granted online licences.
That was far fewer approvals from the 29 applications the regulatory body had initially received. Yet it was noted that the low number of approvals for licensing was because many applicants had failed to meet the high bar of operation needed to secure a gambling licence.
It is now down to the KSA to ensure that licensed platforms protect Dutch players from gambling-related harm, per the agreements of their licence certificates while promoting both fair and moderate gameplay. Since then, the KSA has continued to approve other casinos for licensed status in the Netherlands.
How to Choose the Best Dutch Online Casino
Getting involved in an online casino in the Netherlands should not be taken lightly. Just because there is a high threshold for licence applicants does not mean that rogue platforms will stop operating and providing their services to the country’s players.
While the KSA will always be looking to block such sites from gaining access to Dutch players, this cannot always be guaranteed. That’s why it is ideal to know how to seek out the very best Dutch online casinos, which are fully licensed and authorised to operate in the country.
Check out these guidelines to find the world’s best casinos catering to the Netherlands market.
KSA Gambling Laws
It is important to ensure that the casino you sign up for holds an official Dutch licence. According to Dutch law, a casino without one of these serving the Nederlands market is operating illegally. The KSA has taken action against several casino operators for violating the terms of their legislation, imposing fines on them in line with the Remote Gambling Act of the Netherlands.
Therefore, if you see an online casino with a licence provided by Kansspelautoriteit, it is an officially recognised legal platform. This makes it legal and legitimate to access and join and safe and fair, which also needs to be considered when finding the best platforms. To find the KSA license:
- Scroll to the website footer at the bottom of the page;
- Check the KSA license logo;
- Click on the logo and check the details.
Find Dutch Native Customer Support
Naturally, if you’re a Dutch resident and play games from within the Netherlands, it would be ideal to benefit from native-speaking customer support.
If you ever need help with anything, you will be able to understand it in your native language, although many online casinos also provide support in English or another language if you prefer. However for Dutch casinos, support should be provided in Dutch, which should be made available through live chat, telephone, email, and sometimes other services.
Dutch Players’ Reviews
In general, gamers leave reviews on how they feel about certain games, slot machine online casino sites, support services, and available payment methods, such as Neteller, Skrill, e-wallets, bank transfers, credit cards, and so on. You can find various online reviews on Dutch casinos, which will provide insight into how they operate from the mindset of real players. You will likely be able to understand exactly how good a casino is and how the gambling site treats their players.
If Kansspelautoriteit licenses a platform, it should provide an exceptional experience for its registered users. This means they should feel safe and comfortable depositing and withdrawing, have a great choice of games to select from such as baccarat, video slots and slot tournaments, and feel safe when gaming.
Reading reviews from other Dutch players will allow you to understand how a casino operates and what you can expect from becoming a member of the site yourself. Genuine reviews should be
- Mixed, good and bad. online casinos are not perfect;
- Descriptive of problems experienced;
- Related to something that happened recently.
Casino Bonuses for Netherlands Players
Some of the best casino bonuses can be found at online gaming sites catering to the Netherlands. It’s good to know the different types of bonuses and how they operate, too. Here, we will provide insight into the greatest casino no deposit bonuses for Dutch players to claim.
Promotions at online casinos are frequent, and you could get a bonus for slots or for sports betting, depending on what forms of bonus the casino offers. Whether it's a welcome bonus, or an addition to that for established players, there's a lot on offer. You can then decide whether or not you want to go ahead with joining one of the platforms and claiming its bonuses on offer.
Best Casino Games at NL Online Casinos
Different casinos will provide other numbers of games of chance from various developers. This includes options like blackjack and roulette, online slot machines, video poker, live dealer games, keno and bingo, virtual sports, and more.
You’re usually never short of something to play at an online casino, and with several licenses in the Netherlands, you have a choice of platform to sign up to.
Ultimately, it depends on your personal preference for the best games for you. We can recommend some of the best options when registering at a specific online gaming site. Popular developers have provided these sites with their games, meaning you can look forward to experiencing online casino games from Netent, Microgaming, Blueprint Gaming, Play’n Go, Playtech, and others. And if you want to be guided in the right direction, we can help you with that.
Most Popular Online Slots in the Netherlands
Slot games will always stand out as popular casino games, and this doesn’t specifically cater to Dutch players, either. Slots have a high popularity level around the world. For anyone in the Netherlands, we know of some of the most popular slot games you can access and enjoy.
Look at the recommended slot games below, which you can play at several licensed Dutch casinos. These games come with inviting themes, exceptional special features for you to experience when you unlock them, high-quality graphics and animations, great betting ranges, and more. When playing these premier slots, you may even get your hands on a huge jackpot payout if you're lucky with your spins.
Mobile Casinos Accepting Dutch Players
Today, mobile casino gaming is becoming wildly popular, with people able to access slot games from any location via their smartphone or tablet. It offers convenience, ensuring that you can play your favourite games whenever you want. Furthermore, most casino games and sites have been adapted to cater to this market with adaptive web design and specially-adjusted casino games. Whenever you choose to access a casino game via a mobile device, it will automatically adjusts to the size of your handset’s screen and provide an experience geared towards hands-on gameplay. Customers can access every part of their casino experience, from the casino slots, table games, and more from their mobile.
All Dutch-licensed casinos are compatible with mobile devices, meaning that you aren’t restricted when deciding upon one to join. You can sign up, deposit, and withdraw through your smartphone. Granted, some casinos look better on a mobile screen than others but this is totally up to your personal preference - all of them work perfectly.
Popular Dutch Casino Payment Methods
Adding money to your casino account is something that you’ll need to do before you can play any of the games on hand. Different casinos tend to support additional payment methods, although some options are specifically available to Dutch players. The basic options for payments across casino websites are:
- Ewallets: These are websites or apps which hold your money for you, often giving you a card which you can use to make payments. Some examples are PayPal, Skrill, or another e-wallet.
- Card and Bank Transfer: Using your bank account, you can top up your money on your casino account directly through the internet.
- Prepaid card: You can buy these cards from cashier vendors, with a prepaid amount, and you can top up your casino wallet directly as a one-time payment method.
- Crypto: Using cryptocurrency is fairly popular online, making it easier for players to gamble online with no problems with currency conversion. It's also instant, making crypto like bitcoin a great deposit method or withdrawal method.
Some of these are actively sought out by players from the Netherlands gambling at online casinos. Take a look at the Dutch payment methods you can find on licensed platforms.
Gamble Responsibly in the Netherlands
It is also important for you to engage in responsible gambling activities when you decide upon a casino to play at. It is ideal to follow certain guidelines regarding making deposits, placing bets, etc. For this reason, here are some pointers to follow when it comes to responsibly playing games:
- Never deposit more than you can afford to lose at your chosen Dutch casino site. Try to set a budget for each day, week, or month, for example. And if you decide upon a budget of €30 per day, adhere to this. Don’t go chasing your losses by depositing more money into your casino account in the hopes that you will win it all back again. Make sure that you have enough money left for everyday living. You can set a deposit or loss limit in your casino account to ensure you don't exceed an amount.
- Place bets that cater to your bankroll. If you have deposited that €30 for the day, it is not ideal to go ahead with placing bets of €10 at a time. After all, this gives you a minimum of three bets, and there is no guarantee that you will win anything from those wagers. So, you could use up your entire bankroll in a couple of minutes. And if this occurs, you’re more likely to be enticed into depositing even more. Use lower bets on a game each round if you have a lower bankroll. This will make your gambling experience significantly better, with fewer chances to exceed your balance.
- Don’t let your emotions get the better of you. If you get angry over a couple of losses or get upset, you can make snap and rash decisions. This can lead to even greater losses in the end. You need to remain calm and enjoy your gambling activity at your chosen top online casino. Make the decision to log off if you find yourself getting stressed over gambling.
- Enter into your gambling activity with the mindset that you will lose. Not only will this put you in the correct mindset for gameplay, but it will also provide a bigger high if you end up winning. We’re not saying you will lose if you have that mindset; it’s always better to approach online gambling in this way. This means you're less likely to experience a nasty surprise, as you always considered it an option.
- If you are experiencing any addiction symptoms, be sure to seek help for it. Problem gambling can be a slippery slope, and it can prove to be difficult to escape. But help is available for you to benefit from, so don’t be afraid to take it.
Gambling Helplines in the Netherlands
If you need help with gambling addiction, there is plenty of assistance catering to Dutch players in this respect. As part of the Remote Gambling Act enacted in 2021, online casinos licensed by KSA must readily promote responsible gambling to their players. This includes providing them with information on how to find help for the addiction. The Netherlands Gambling Authority ensures that all of the casinos and gambling sites follow their responsible gaming standards, with the numbers or other ways of accessing these groups on the site. The helplines that are available to you in the Netherlands include:
Dutch Casino Sites Comparison
There are not many licensed casinos to choose from in the Netherlands, but those few casinos will give you a fantastic gaming experience, with every operator listed being top-quality, with great payouts on games, quick withdrawals, and different payment options. Here's a list of these casinos divided by category:
Dutch Casino FAQs
Want to know more about playing games online in the Netherlands? Maybe your questions will be answered in these various FAQs about the scene.
