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gambling has grown very popular since it became
available on the Internet. Many people participate
in online gambling for entertainment or to increase
the enjoyment of sporting events. However, the
increase in online gambling has also led to an
increase in the amount of gambling addiction.
In the Netherlands, the issue of gambling addiction
is a huge one. The government in the Netherlands
has been looking into ways of limiting online
gambling to cut down on the level of gambling
addiction. They are considering following the
example set by the US when it made it illegal
for online gaming companies in other countries
to process credit card payments and bank transactions
for US residents.
If the Netherlands enacts this type of legislation,
it will not completely wipe out online gambling
in the country. However, it will create a monopoly
because there is currently only one company
running an online gambling site from the Netherlands.
Without competition, there are fears that the
one remaining company would take advantage of
people due to the lack of competition. When
there is no competition, companies are able
to charge unfair prices, or in the case of an
online gambling site, offer less favorable odds.
There is no other online casino that they could
switch to if they were unhappy.
Also, as long as there is even one online casino
being operated in the country, the law would
not achieve its desired effect. The people who
are addicted to gambling would simply go to
that site to gamble.
The Holland Casino, a land based state-run
casino in the Netherlands, has received authorization
from the Dutch Supreme Court to offer Internet
gambling to residents of Holland only. The company
is limited to offering traditional casino games.
The European Commission does not approve of
the Dutch gambling laws, which don’t allow
Dutch citizens to gamble online at foreign-run
sites. The Commission wants online gambling
to be part of their open market policy. Foreign
casino operations have attempted to build casinos
in the Netherlands, but the government has denied
all of the license applications.
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