Toespraak van staatssecretaris Dijkhoff bij de Euromat Gaming Summit

Toespraak | 28-05-2015

Ladies and gentlemen,

Welcome to the Netherlands.

Welcome to Amsterdam.

And welcome to Hotel Sofitel The Grand.

I’ve just had a look around. What a beautiful hotel. All that’s missing is a place to play in the basement!

This building used to be Amsterdam City Hall. We are now in the room where marriages were performed. And that’s quite fitting, by the way: as a divorced man, I can assure you that marriage too is a gamble.

I'm honoured to be a guest here at the Euromat Gaming Summit. Your industry is vibrant, your industry is enterprising and your industry creates jobs. Gaming is a dynamic industry so there is every reason to hold a summit like this one.

Every day people enjoy taking a gamble. The great 19th-century writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky was such a person as well.

He went to casinos in Germany, Austria and Russia to play roulette. And the same thing happened every time: he would win a little bit. He would become convinced he'd discovered a winning system... and he'd play until he was deeply in debt.

It went so far that once he promised a creditor that he’d write a new novel within a month to pay off his debt.

If he failed, the creditor would have the right to publish all his books for nine years without giving him a cut of the profits.

Dostoyevsky started writing and within four weeks the book was finished. And what was the result? His wonderful novel The Gambler.

So, racking up gambling debts can have a positive outcome!

Of course, it is in everyone’s interests – the players, the house, the gaming industry and the government – for people to stay within the boundaries that they set for themselves.

And to ensure that they do, we need rules. People who frequent casinos or gaming halls receive guidance. In this way, we prevent people from literally risking everything they have, like Dostoyevsky did.

In some elegant old casinos, it might seem as if time has stood still since Dostoyevsky’s days, but the gaming world is incredibly dynamic.

More people than ever before are playing online. More and more people are interested in playing games of skill. And wins and losses are no longer measured only in coins: rewards are often virtual these days.

It is the task of government and the gaming industry to anticipate and respond to developments like these.

Ladies and gentlemen,

This means that current policy on games of chance needs an overhaul. We have to regulate in order to modernise.

You all know that the ministry has been working hard on this for the past few years. A number of you have even been involved as advisers and conversation partners. And all of you – as an industry – will be affected by these reforms.

The goals are still the same. A healthy industry. Healthy fun and healthy profits. This means taking responsibility for protecting consumers against addiction, fraud and crime.

What has changed is our approach to meeting these goals.

In the past, government restricted the legal supply, often through monopolies. In the future, we will allow greater freedom, with fair rules that apply to everyone. And since 2012 we have had a strong supervisory body that has the power to enforce these rules: the Gaming Authority.

This is good for consumers and good for the industry. So, we will take a number of steps in the coming years.

We will be regulating remote gaming. Reforming the casino market. And modernising the rules for gaming machines, for example by making them technology independent and easier to understand.

I'd like to tell you a little bit about each of these plans.

Let's begin with remote gaming. About a million people in the Netherlands play online. That's not surprising, since a game of poker or backgammon is only one click away.

But these sites and apps are unregulated. They don't provide players with adequate protections against addiction, fraud and crime. And the providers don't pay tax on games of chance. You will understand that this is especially important for the government!

I know that some of you are critical of this online-gambling-bill. But your industry was legalised back in the 1980s with the same goal in mind: to protect consumers. The active duty of care is a condition for sustainable business.

I also know that the different tax rate is a hot topic. And this will no doubt be hotly debated in parliament – not least because your industry knows how to lobby the right members of parliament, of course.

Let me say this. We are in a transition phase. And transition is never easy for anyone. Not for the players, not for the land-based providers and not for the online providers, the supervisory authority or the government: we all want a healthy market with clear rules.

But the fact remains that players are already finding their own way on the internet. For them the market has already been modernised. That’s why it's so important that we follow suit. And make sure that this new market is properly regulated.

This won't just benefit consumers. It’ll also be good for your industry. Many of you are considering entering the online market. Some of you already have. And for everyone who takes that step a free market with sound rules provides the certainty that is so important for doing business.

Ladies and gentlemen,

It might seem like online gaming gets the most attention. But there is more. We are currently examining ways of adapting the rules for gaming machines to new developments. Think about server supported gaming, server-based gaming and electronic payments.

We are looking at how we can update the sums laid down in the standards for stakes and average hourly loss, for example. And we are trying to create more scope for innovation. For example, games of chance that require certain skills. And we want all the rules to be simpler and more transparent.

We are also building a new market for casinos. This involves abolishing the casino monopoly, privatising Holland Casino and allowing new parties to enter the market. Obviously, casinos will still be subject to rules. The total number of casinos will be restricted to 16 and they must be spread throughout the country. Holland Casino will be required to hive off four of its 14 branches. This will free up six licences for new providers. Four licences might transfer with existing casinos. And two new licences will be granted outright.

We've had many reactions to this plan in recent months. And that’s a positive sign that industry experts are thinking about these reforms too. We are studying their responses now.

If all goes according to plan, we will have a new, modern market for casinos in the Netherlands after 2017.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I began with Dostoyevsky, his addiction to the Roulette table and the wonderful novel that it gave us.

Today, anyone who gambles knows that maximum protections are in place to safeguard them from addiction, fraud and crime.

And they know that they can enjoy the game, while playing by rules that are appropriate for the modern world.

The government is doing its best to make sure of that. And the knowledge and support that your industry provides are extremely valuable.

I wish you all a successful conference.

Thank you.