The Dutch Gaming Authority has completed an extended investigation aimed at 290 gaming machine operators in the country. The regulator came across 37 operators that were not obeying the attendance permit requirements issued by the municipal authorities in the Netherlands. All operators were notified and immediately ceased the violation of the presence permit rule, with the exception of one business.

Why Are Presence Permits Necessary for Gaming Machines?

Generally speaking, businesses in the Netherlands are allowed to require two different types of permits from the municipal authorities if they wish to place gaming machines in their catering venues. One of them is the municipal permit for gaming machines, while the second one is the operating permit handed out by the Netherlands Gaming Authority.

The municipal authorities can also issue permits that would allow businesses to operate amusement arcades. Gaming machines need proof of their official admission on the Dutch market in order to be issued a permit. This means all importers and manufacturers should own a license for the gaming machine type they wish to operate: slot machines for games of chance, pinball machines or other machines for skill games, claw grabbers, and other types of funfair machines.

To apply for a license, businesses should contact the Netherlands Gaming Authority. Also, these permits can only be handed out to businesses that are mostly visited by adults. This translates to open gambling machines in snack bars not being allowed to operate.

Businesses need to get their gaming machine permits from the local municipal authorities prior to setting up machines offering games of chance in their venues. Machines offering games of skill do not require any permits. If a business owns several different outlet locations, they need to obtain separate permits for their machines.

The Dutch Gaming Authority explains the importance of attendance permits for their role in preventing criminal activities from occurring in relation to gaming machines. This is the reason why municipality authorities should perform reliability investigations prior to handing out these permits, or while the issuing procedure is still underway.

36 Out of 37 Dutch Operators Have Complied

All of the 37 businesses that failed to comply with the permit regulations received their notifications from the Dutch Gaming Authority and proceeded to correct their wrongdoings except for one that will be subject to a penalty. This could lead to the business losing its license to operate gaming machines in the future.

The regulator asked Dutch municipalities to continue to actively inspect the presence of attendance permits for gaming machines. At the beginning of April, the Dutch Gaming Authority announced it managed to decrease many of the illegal gambling operations in the country.

t the beginning of May, the regulator also announced it issued a number of warnings to unnamed operators while giving out advice on general advertisement practices and expressing its discontent with the way gambling companies and stakeholders report to the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act.