The Best Netherlands Online Casinos for 2024
The legality of online casino sites in the Netherlands is going through changes. What was once a heavily monopolized and regulated sector is now set to open its doors to foreign operators for the first time. It may come as a surprise to learn that a country known for its liberal view on drugs and prostitution has had such a firm stance on betting, but like many European countries, it attempted to protect its monopoly on the industry.
However, by 2013 it had become clear that foreign operators and Dutch citizens were ignoring the law. Hundreds of Dutch online casinos continued to take players from the Netherlands, with many offering their platforms and support in Dutch. At one point the government asked banks to stop processing transactions related to gambling activities, but this was voluntary, and unsurprisingly, the majority of banks refused. In 2013 draft legislation was drawn up to regulate the Netherlands online casino gaming industry, with new operators able to apply for licences from January 2015. While over 300 companies expressed interest, only around 50 have made actions towards obtaining a license so far.
Gambling in the Netherlands, however, especially online or ‘remote’ gambling as it is referred to in Dutch law, is not set to be fully legalized until 2021. Changes to the Gambling Act in 2019 set the wheels in motion further, but there’s still a long way to go in terms of legal online gambling.
In the meantime, Dutch players are estimated to spend between €250m and €800m on “illegal” wagers with foreign-based betting sites, but it will only be a matter of time until these wagers become “legal” according to Dutch law.
Looking for a reputable and secure Dutch gambling site to sign up with? Here are some of the best online casinos in the Netherlands:
Top Casino Sites in the Netherlands for 2024
Why Pick a Netherlands Online Casino From Our List?
Our expert review team doesn’t just put any Netherlands online casino on this page. They carefully vet each casino site for Dutch players to select and list the ones that rank highly in terms of safety, user experience, games and bonuses. All our approved gambling sites hold legitimate licenses from renown gambling regulators, which ensures members receive a professional and reliable service.
Below, we’ve outlined the perks you’ll enjoy when signing up to a trusted Netherlands casino online.
Generous Bonus Offers
Exciting bonuses and promotions can truly spice up your online gambling experience. Our team ensures that each casino we feature on our page here will offer you a great sign up bonus with fair terms and conditions. They also look out for variety, because nobody wants to see the same old offers cropping up on their account. So, whether you want to claim a no deposit bonus in the Netherlands, or free spins, you’ll be covered. Our casinos add new promotions on a regular basis to keep their members entertained.
Big Selection of Casino Games
Our online casino sites in NL feature a massive games lobby which will leave you spoilt for choice. You can play loads of online casino slots in the Netherlands, as well try your luck at classic table games like European roulette, blackjack, baccarat and Texas hold ’em.
Miss the thrill of gambling at a land-based casino? Then you’re in for a treat. The Netherlands casino sites on this page offer a rich selection of live dealer games, powered by industry giants such as Evolution Gaming, Microgaming, and NetEnt.
You’ll also come across specialty games, keno, and video poker games at our top sites.
Dutch-Friendly Casino Payment Methods
No online casino would be complete without a wide range of deposit and withdrawal methods. Once you join one of our trusted gambling sites, you’ll be able to deposit cash through debit or credit cards, e-wallets, or prepaids cards, among other options. You can quickly see what deposit methods are available to you by checking the Cashier or payments page at the casino.
We value withdrawals just as much, and only list sites here that have an abundance of these options too. We even withdraw money ourselves when we’re testing a Netherlands casino online to verify that the payouts are fast and efficient.
A Guide to the Netherland’s Gambling Laws
The decision to welcome foreign-based gambling companies to the Netherlands is something of an about-face compared to previous legislation, which had attempted to prevent Dutch players from betting online.
Since the 1970’s all forms of casino gaming in the Netherlands have been controlled by the state-owned Holland Casino, which operates 14 bricks-and-mortar casinos in the country. Dutch players have been legally allowed to play blackjack, roulette, poker and several other Vegas-style games in these establishments for many years.
The sports betting sector has been monopolized by two companies: De Lotto, which handles all sports except for Horse Racing; and Scientific Games Racing B.V., which looks after Horse Racing. Toto.dl (owned by De Lotto) is the only sportsbook licenced to offer its services online to Dutch customers.
In 2006 Holland Casino was granted a licence to provide an online casino alongside its land-based services, but it lasted little longer than a year. By 2008 the Dutch parliament had voted against a bill to renew the licence for a further three years. It also voted against a bill to regulate limited internet gambling.
By 2011 the Netherlands had begun to investigate ways of developing a new legislative framework to deal with e-gaming. The Secretary of Security and Justice admitted that laws were being ignored by Dutch citizens and a new law would allow more oversight. However, in 2012 the Netherlands Supreme Court ruled that the ban on online gaming was not in contravention of the EU law of free movement of services, and banks were asked to block transactions relating to foreign-based gambling operations. As this policy was not enforceable by law, most banks simply refused, and by 2013 the Netherlands government had announced its intention to liberalize the market and award licences to overseas operators for the first time.
It’s also interesting to note that the kingdom of the Netherlands also includes island territories such as Curaçao, Aruba, and Saba. These all have different attitudes towards online gambling, for example, it’s legal to play online in Curaçao and Aruba but not in Saba. However, currently Dutch players cannot gamble at Curaçao licensed casinos.
Sweeping Changes for the Dutch Gambling Scene
New regulations took effect from January 2015 with a 20% tax on total revenue introduced for operators (similar to operators in the United Kingdom). This has caused a stir because it is less than the current 29% charged to land-based services. However, it is considered necessary to enable Netherlands casinos online to offer games and pay outs that are competitive with unlicensed sites.
It has also suggested that there will be a compulsory contribution from licensees to a fund which will help support problem gamblers, while it will also put in place strategies to monitor players and potentially limit their usage through a national register of gamblers.
These changes were followed up by more in 2019, when amendments were made to remote gambling law with the intention of focusing on player safety and protection, something that Rene Jansen, chair of the Netherlands Gaming Authority (NGA, formally Kansspelautoriteit or KSA) stated was not possible if remote gambling remained illegal.
Another 2019 amendment saw a two year blacklist for any international gaming operators known to be offering their services in Netherlands before legalisation. With approval across the board for the Remote Gambling Act, it is expected to be officially passed in July 2020, with full legalisation of remote gambling expected in January 2021.
The Future of Online Gambling in the Netherlands
With over 300 betting operations already showing an interest in the Dutch market, it’s clear that there are some big players ready to take a piece of the pie, and a quick look at the stats reveals why.
The Netherlands is the 17th largest iGaming market in the EU (after gaming in Portugal), with 700,000 regular players, and over 93% of the population having access to the internet. That market is estimated to be worth around €2.3bn but only 9% of this is from internet gambling – compared with an average 12.5% across the EU. Some experts have suggested that within a regulated environment, this could grow to a 31% market share, which signals huge potential for growth.
Once the large gaming and sports betting providers enter the market it can be expected to grow considerably, with players confident that they can play at fully licensed and regulated online casino sites in the Netherlands. Dutch gamblers have already been used to playing a wide variety of games at foreign-based websites, but soon they will be able to do so completely legally. Better still, they will have the security of knowing that the site must be licensed and regulated by Dutch law. The government will also be a big winner due to the amount it raises through taxation, with licences also expected to earn approximately €10m per year.
