Gaming News
The Dutch Supreme Court has prohibited Ladbrokes from offering
web-based gambling services in the Netherlands. Last year, Ladbrokes
was ordered to stop offering sports bets to consumers in the
Netherlands.
To prevent compulsive gambling, the Netherlands has a complex licensing
system containing a raft of restrictions and requirements. The number
of games is limited and a percentage of the profits has to be
contributed to Dutch charity funds.
About a year and a half ago, Ladbrokes, the UK betting and gaming
division of Hilton Group, contested the rulings of two lower Dutch
courts, claiming that the games offered via the internet should qualify
as foreign games because Ladbrokes is based in the UK and organises the
games from the UK. Ladbrokes also argued that the Dutch laws are a
violation of the free movement of services within the European Union.
However, both the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court disagreed.
Ladbrokes now has to deny access to players with a Dutch IP address.
Ladbrokes` main opponent De Lotto, which operates under a license,
believes that the ruling is a fatal blow to the illegal provision of
gambling sites in the Netherlands.
