The Ministry of Justice of The Netherlands has created a special group called the Online Gaming Advisory Committee to look into the potential for expanding online gaming law to include poker. In Holland the state operates online gaming, offering only sports betting and a national lottery through state-authorized sites. The findings from the Online Gaming Advisory Committee could affect the laws as they are currently written and enforced in the country.

The group, formed in September of last year, is a six-member body that investigated the current market conditions in Holland and the application of the country’s laws toward online gaming. The recommendations from the committee support legalization of online poker in much the same way that France recently opened up its online gaming market.

The committee found that some illegal variants of online gaming (poker is included within such games) already exist in the country, and operators haven not been inhibited by the current legal system. The only way for the country to prevent access to the online sites, the committee found, was for the different Internet Service Providers (ISPs) throughout the country to block the sites.

There are other reasons for the committee to change the current stance in Holland. However, it is very likely that the government has come to terms with the fact that online gaming is a source of revenue at hand that the country may use in the current global economic situation. Also, by blocking ISPs in the country, Holland would run foul of the European Union’s free trade policies and treaties, which would lead to sanctions and more economic hardship for no real reason. (E-08.26.10)

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