Reports NETHERLANDS
The government says they could not operate without a gambling licence although when Befair inquired about the licence they claim they were then told they could not apply for one.
Ladbrokes has been involved in a seven year battle with the Dutch government after they issued an injunction preventing the group from accepting wagers from Dutch citizens.
Now Betfair and Ladbrokes have both taken their separate and yet linked cases to the ECJ. Although it could take up to a year for rulings, if the case is successful Betfair says it will sue the Dutch government for damages which could run into millions.
According to market research company Motivaction in 2008 the number of people who play online for real money has doubled to reach around 485,000 whilst the average outlay has also risen to around €985 per player per year. The total value of this market exceeds €475m per year in the Netherlands alone.
Although no gambling sites can be run via a Dutch server or with a Dutch website the foreign companies which are targeting the Dutch have to be careful with advertising as they cannot place any banners on Dutch websites.
Meanwhile the Dutch may soon see an end to the monopoly on poker. The popularity of the game is growing although it is currently illegal to play in venues such as bars and clubs.
However the Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin has decided to lift the ban on people playing poker for money outside of Holland Casino.
However some players are worried about the fairness and security whilst Ballin says it should reduce the number of illegal operations that exist in Holland at the moment which is estimated to be around half a million players.
A survey carried out for the gambling board estimated that around 31 per cent of the total youth population play poker more than once a month averaging on 3.5 hours per week. Nearly one quarter of all young people play online.
Meanwhile according to research the Dutch spend around 51 per cent of their total game platform budget on console games compared to 29 per cent on PC games, 10 per cent on game portals, eight per cent on MMO (massively multiplayer online games) and one per cent on mobile phone games.
CAMPARISONOFTURNOVERFORGAMINGSECTORS Industry
2005
HollandCasino AWPindustry State Lottery
BankGiroLottery
SponsorBingoLottery Postcodeloterij Toto/Lotto
Instant Lottery(scratchcards) Horsebetting
€680.5m €497m €672.5 €105m €72.2m €419.9m €220m €55.5m €33m
* Figures
for2007notavailable.Using2006figures. 2006
€721.5m €517m
€737.6m €102.5m €74.5m €432.1m €216.6m €59.9m €33.8m
2007 €756.7m
€517m(2006)* €772.4
€106.5m €80.1m
€450.5m €202.8m €67.2m €34.3m
2008
€700.1m n/a
€826.2m €116.3m €94m
€488.8m €227.8m €60.6m €31.8
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