- All other major online poker operators, including PokerStars, 888 and partypoker, have yet to receive a license.
- All three state they are hopeful of a market launch, but timelines have been pushed out into the second half of 2023.
- Entain, owner of partypoker, told investors in a Q3 trading update last month that it still hoped for an approval this quarter.
- The KSA “urged all licensed providers of online games of chance to stop providing bonuses in the form of a cashback.”
Online poker players have a choice of just four regulated sites in the Netherlands, more than a year into market regulation.
Only GGPoker, Unibet, and two iPoker skins are licensed and regulated by the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch regulatory authority. All other major online poker operators, including PokerStars, 888 and partypoker, have yet to receive a license.
It remains in doubt when the situation will change. All three say they are hopeful of a market launch, but a slow licensing process, burdensome regulatory hoops and significant integration costs have significantly dampened enthusiasm and pushed out timelines into the second half of 2023, potentially 2024.
“We continue to refine our approach to the diverse range of markets we operate in,” said a PokerStars spokesperson to PRO last week, “with a particular focus on consolidating our existing #1 positions and investing for leadership in high growth markets.”
“The Netherlands continues to present an exciting opportunity for our PokerStars business, and we hope to make a return in 2023,” they added. It is the same statement issued to Dutch-language news site Casino Nieuws in October.
This position further dampens the hopes that the online poker giant will return to the Dutch market soon and raises the possibility that it may avoid the market all together.
