Online Casinos Directory

If you have heard of the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao most likely it was in reference to oneof two things: its overwhelming beauty as a Caribbean get a way, or as a gambling center for gaming companies. Those two don’t necessarily go hand in hand, but Curacao is making it work. The small island is one of the most beautiful locations to visit. Their tourism market is on a high because of the beauty and natural appeal it has. Much of the market is built on tourism, so resorts and hotels put millions of dollars into building up their businesses for tourist attractions. The other part of their market though is their online casino operator appeal. Curacao is one of the first jurisdictions to regulate online gaming for real money. It all began back in 1993 when the island officials decided to take a chance at regulated gambling. It was a huge task and many thought the small island had no business delving into the gambling business, thinking it was more of a “big country” pursuit. In the years since, Curacao has proven all naysayers wrong.

When gambling companies are looking to set up shop, one of the first places they consider is Curacao. The island offers some of the most reasoanble fees in the world. No longer do gaming companies have to submit to enourmouse taxation or licensing committments that larger countries insist on. With islands like Curacau around, they can bypass the huge-pay countries and settle quite nicely into small ones. The best thing about setting up shop in Curacau is that the country has been at it for years now and worked out all the pre-start up bugs, so to speak. It knows what the laws should be, knows how to enforce them and has a highly affordable setup structure to top it all off. No one can beat small countries when it comes to reasonably priced regulation. Curacau is a leader when it comes to the art of licensing gambling casinos and is showing no signs of slowing down. Many gambling companies are looking to start up on the small island or to transfer their busineses to it. As large countries elevate their fees, Curacau continues to squash all the competition.

The Dutch are debating the question of online gambling and its legalization. It’s no secret that countries around the world are using online gambling to shore up their coffers. The recession was a difficult time for every country and now they are left with hefty deficits and huge shortfalls in budgeting. It isn’t an easy time, but things are on the upswing according to research. The Dutch government is now revisiting the issue of legalizing online gambling but has yet to issue a formal statement on the issue. So far countries like Italy, France and Belgium have already legalized online gambling. They all have regulations they are still toying with, but they are well on their ways to bringing gambling into their markets. Holland is now on the brink, but there may be some additional need for time to sort through rules prior to a formal announcement.

Right now Holland has monopolistic policies on internet gambling…or at least that is where they are pointing. The problem is that it won’t be allowed in the country due to open trade laws the EU already has instated. Though it is only speculation, most likely the government will start debates over the issue. A newspaper estimate published recently showed that Holland could benefit to the tune of €270 million in tax revenue dollars over the course of the next five years. Holland, like other countries, has a long list of financial problems. If the country can institute a viable gambling plan then they could answer the problem of financial shortcomings. Most likely, experts are saying, that Holland would follow the model already built by the French. It too is a monopolistic system that dictates the rules for online gambling protocols. Holland has a lot of potential tax revenue dollars to enjoy and this could be the best solution for them to overcome. So far the Dutch Justice Ministry has proposed that the country has to begin some legislation that deals with online gambling and its rules. It also has a licensing plan to work with. Only time will tell what is going to happen with the gambling in the state, but it should take formation within the next few months. The financial state of the market is harrowing and it could take something as lucrative as gambling to turn things around.

The Dutch government is yet another one that is embroiled in hefty debates of legalizing online gambling casinos. Right now online gambling websites are illegal but offshore companies are still pushing for resident’s money. It is estimated that a half-a-million people are now playing at offshore companies. The country is in front of the same problems that the US was back in early 2000s. The US deemed that online gambling was illegal and thought that the move would stop residents from gambling. In the end it didn’t but rather it pushed US residents to start playing games at offshore companies. There were billions of dollars fueled out of the country and that money will never be recovered. It is a difficult time for online gambling regulators because of the varying laws, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t doing a lot of pushing for making things as easy as possible for gamers to join their websites. Dutch government officials may be facing the same losses if they don’t think quickly on the decision to keep online gambling illegal.
A newspaper in the country is reporting that more and more leaders are rethinking their decisions to keep things illegal. They see the money drains that not legalizing gambling could create. Right now Holland Casino has a monopoly over the state in terms of land based gambling. Recently its officials issued a statement saying that the company is considering moving to the world of online gambling with their gaming products.

Legalization of online casinos could help to keep illegal operations out and limit the amount of gamers who are fueling money out of the country by using out of state casinos. There are still a lot of things to be sorted out, but the Dutch government is debating the issue. Mostly it is coming down to a financial one. They don’t want to continue to see millions fueled out of the country. And with the gambling world expanding, that could put even more of a strain on them if they don’t start doing something to change things around in the market. Only time will tell what the country does, but most likely they will be making room for their own online gambling outlets.

One of the biggest problems with online gambling today is looking at both sides. At the beginning of the legalization issue is the positive and negative side. On one hand, you have a hobby that potentially can bring in millions of dollars to financially depressed economies. Legislators are for the most part on this side because they know the huge financial benefit gambling can bring. They know with the proper legislation, they can come up with a viable solution to turn the post-recessionary market around. Though they have a good argument as to why gamblign should be legalized and regulated, there is still another side. On the other side is the argument that legalizing online gambling will bring in more crime, corruption and addictions. Legislators on the con side are arguing that if gambling is legalized there aren’t enough precautionary safeguards in place to manage growth in crime and addictions. For example, if two-hundred thousand more people start gambling and just 1% develop a gambling addiction, that means that additional adddiction resources will have to be in place for 2,000 people. Holland is the latest country trying to sort through the legalization process and write proper code for online gambling.

There is good news in the push for gambling within Holland though. Recently to explore the two sides of the issue, Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballinon requested a formal assessmetn of online gambling’s positive and negative aspects. His purpose was to do a critical examination of what gambling means to the communities involved under his jurisdiction. One of the results of the study was that there are a huge number of illegal poker rooms operating and regulation may help to bring them down, but replace them with legal rooms. The legal rooms of course will bring money into the economy. The study did not cover online gambling or suggest any movements towards or away from it. It is going to take time to regulate and legalize gambling, but Holland is taking a step in the right direction. Hirsch hopes to continue to move in ont he topic and take things slowly as the market expands.

Betfair and Ladbrokes have both been banned from operating with Dutch citizens. As a result both companies brought a lawsuit against the country. The European Court of Justice is currently considering the case brought against the Dutch online casino block. Betfair and Ladbrokes are contesting the Netherlands policy of protecting its betting monopoly. Both gaming companies have been forbidden to operate with Dutch citizens without the awarding of a Dutch gambling license. But Betfair has inquired as to Dutch licensing, only to be told they were not allowed to apply for the license.

Under the European Treaty, Betfair and Ladbrokes, as entities licensed by EU members, are entitled to offer any gambling services offered by the state or domestic companies. But the Netherlands’ state monopoly continues to accept bets, while foreign operators are denied. Betfair officials say if the EU court rules in its favor, it may choose to sue the Netherlands for damages rather than wait for the interminable movement of EU justice. Such a suit could bring the online gambling company millions if it wins. However, judgments by the Court of Justice often take months, so online casino observers are estimating it may be as long as a year before a ruling is announced.

This is just one of the latest happenings surrounding legalizing gambing in Europe. There is much debate going on about companies trying to create monopolies by not allowing casino operators to advertise or solicit in their jurisdictions. Although this is saving them money and keeping gambling funds in their borders, it is not atune with the EU treaties. In the treaty countries have to be allowed to cross-market and operate.

What is happening in Europe is close to what is happening in the US. States are taking it upon themselves to build their own gambling laws and lacking a unification in legislation. While many feel that this is what is necessary, the reality is that it is creating numerous laws for citizens to follow. Many groups are pushing for a unification from the start to make it easier to handle legalization as it evolves over the coming years.