market where the growth is in an area it cannot legally operate in. Mr Goudsmit estimated that online gaming in the Netherlands generated revenues of €600m in fiscal year 2010. The companies offering these online services are currently unregulated in the Netherlands. Holland Casino has itself ’built’ an online casino twice, the most recent of which was voted down in the Senate on April 1st, 2008, much to the surprise of both Holland Casino and the Ministry of Justice. Last year a committe was established by the
“TITO is one of our bigger projects for the next
couple of years. It is expected to run for 18 months and involves the conversion of approximately 6,500 slots in 10 casinos to coinless operation. In the other four casinos, the slots run on a different system and we expect mid-2012 to formally make a decision about these casinos.” Whereas TITO is aimed at existing customers
the Casino Try Out package is aimed at attracting first time visitors so they can experience for themselves the type and variety of entertainment being offered in the new Holland Casino. The pack includes an entry voucher, playing chips and slot credits worth €35, vouchers for a drink and a snack, and a guided tour that will include tutorials to explain to new customers how to play the various games on offer, as well as an introduction to the restaurants, bars and live entertainment offerings on a venue-by-venue basis. Launched in September 2010, the Casino Try
Out pack can be purchased in a wide variety of shops around the country, and is being promoted through TV and other mainstream media advertising. This all-inclusive package has proven to be very popular in attracting new customers.
5. Online Casino “Online gaming currently presents the biggest
change to our industry. All countries are discussing and considering the best ways to manage and control legal online gaming; with some countries already operating legal online operations, such as Italy and France.” Known for its world-leading responsible gaming practices, Holland Casino today finds itself in a
Dutch government to investigate options to legalize online gaming in the Netherlands. Its report, published just before the summer of 2010, suggested to the government to limit online operations to poker. This judgement was based on data that suggested poker to account for approximately two-thirds of online gaming revenue. Today, Mr. Goudsmit feels the split is more 50-50 between poker and other casino games. ”If we are to fight the illegal offering, we must offer a fully legalized online casino that delivers to customers the full range of casino games, not just poker. The Committee Janssen discussed opening the online market by offering between five and 10 licenses in the Netherlands, a country with a population of about 16.5m people. I do not believe that number of licenses is sustainable. Taking into consideration the need for liquidity in online gaming, I believe that the number of licenses has to be fewer than that. I am not advocating a single license. I believe the ’Licensing Plus System’ is a good way forward, which is also what we at the European Casino Association advocates.” The Licensing Plus System explained simply is
where an offline operator licensed in country A is also given a license to offer online gaming services in country A, be it for lottery, sports betting or casinos. With Holland Casino holding the single casino license for the Netherlands, under the Licensing Plus System it would also receive an online license to legally offer the full range of casino games. Other companies would then make the relevant application for any additional licenses to legally operate regulated online gaming in the Netherlands. With all of these changes underway, one can see
why Mr Goudsmit commented to me during our interview that ”Holland Casino will be a totally different company operating in a significantly changed industry offering a wholly updated and different product for our customers.” If Bob Dylan believed that The Times They Are a-Changin’ in 1964, then the same can most certainly be said for Holland Casino over 45 years later.
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casino life magazine
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