Netherlands Gambling — Distribution and platforms: Can we ship through apps and platforms?

All electronic means used for the organisation of licensed games of chance must be located in the EU/EEA. A Control Database (CDB) must be located in the Netherlands, no exemptions are permitted to this rule. The CDB is essentially a vault into which the licence holder must transfer data about activities occurring pursuant to the remote gambling licence in near real-time. Access to the CDB must be made available to both the NGA and the tax authority. Passing the NGA’s stringent CDB testing regime is one condition of being awarded a remote gambling licence. There is a central database of excluded players to which all remote operators must connect (CRUKS), as well as the state-owned land-based monopolist Holland Casino and the land-based slot machine sector. Once a player is excluded via operator X, all other operators will have to deny that individual access to their services for the relevant period of time. A licensee cannot register an individual as a player if that person is already included in the register. The entire game system must be tested and certified prior to submission of the licence application. Consequently, there is no period between licence award and going live where testing and certification can be completed. Everything must be done “up front”, before application. This must be done in accordance with version 2.1 of the Keuringsschema spelsysteem kansspelen of afstand (“Gaming System Assessment Scheme”), available in Dutch and English at: https://kansspelautoriteit.nl/voor-zakelijke-aanbieders/online-kansspel/keuren-spelsysteem/. As of April 2023 certification must be carried out by a body which has been accredited for such purposes by the Ministry of Justice and Security. An overview of such bodies can be found on this page: https://kansspelautoriteit.nl/voor-zakelijke-aanbieders/online-kansspel/keuren-spelsysteem/.