Recently in The Netherlands Category

The Right2bet World Cup Report, published last week, has evoked a strong reaction across the online gambling industry, with consumers, consumer groups and operators all coming forward to comment on the report's findings.

The report exclusively revealed that European gambling monopolies offered their customers, on average, 32% worse odds during the World Cup than private and licensed betting operators, and the response across Europe has been one of shock and dismay.

Consumers across Europe contacted Right2bet to voice their reaction to the report.

Julien Beaudet in France said: "As a French player I now feel extremely limited and frustrated with regards to my playing experience. Consumers have been totally denigrated by the supposed French 'liberalisation' and it is totally unfair."

David Atkins of Amsterdam commented: "It never ceases to amaze me how monopolies like De Lotto get away with such blatant exploitation of customers.  This report shows first-hand how much people in the Netherlands and many other EU countries are losing out and I hope it acts as a catalyst to drive the change we need to enable free and fair access to online private operators."

Luca Pappalardo, Chairman of Italian Consumer group ACOGI, said: "We strongly agree with and applaud the output of this report. Even in Member States like Italy where there is no monopoly, the high burdens and barriers to entry make it almost impossible for many operators and as a result, Italian consumers are punished."

Martin Arendts, a prominent online gambling lawyer in Germany, told Right2bet: "A level playing field between state operators and licensed private operators would give customers freedom of choice and would prohibit unfair monopoly gains. With fair competition customers would get a far better value for their money."

Operators too were quick to comment on the report:

Ciaran O'Brien, Head of PR at Ladbrokes commented: "Consumer freedom and choice is at the heart of fundamental EU principles, yet as the Right2bet report shows, millions of Europeans are being denied the choice and the value that healthy competition provides. We urge the Commission to study the findings of the report and do more to rectify the unjust balance that exists between EU citizens living within different Member States."

Tim Phillips, Director of European Public Affairs at Betfair said: "An open and fairly regulated European gambling market is the best way of ensuring that all European consumers are getting the best value in a safe and transparent online environment. The Right2bet report shows quite clearly that consumers are the ultimate losers in Member States where gambling monopolies exist."
 
Right2bet spokesman Mike Robb was delighted with the widespread appreciation of the report.  He said: "I am pleased that the startling results of the report have reached individuals and groups within the online gambling world across Europe. We now urge the European Commission to study the findings and do more to rectify an unjust situation that is to the detriment of millions of European consumers."

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) yesterday ruled on the Ladbrokes and Betfair cases against the Dutch Government and incumbent monopoly operator De Lotto.

It never ceases to amaze us that the judges who sit in the EU's highest court - who are undoubtedly frighteningly intelligent men and women - cannot see the realities of modern day e-commerce when it comes to online betting.

One of the key questions put in the case was whether the Dutch authorities are entitled to prohibit an operator such as Ladbrokes or Betfair, licensed in other Member States, from accepting Dutch customers.  The Court ruled that it is irrelevant where in the EU a company is licensed and that if Dutch customers can access their sites, the Dutch authorities have the right to block them.

What the ECJ don't seem to have grasped is that consumers clearly do not make the distinction about where a company is licensed - be it in the betting industry or any other - and nor do they care.

The Court made their ruling on the basis that Member States are allowed to restrict their online betting market in order to prevent fraud, crime and addiction with the presumption that monopolies are better at achieving this than licensed private sector operators.  It is clear to us that this judgement has been made devoid of any evidence and in fact that licensed private operators are as good, if not better, at addressing key issues such as these.  We are yet to see anything that supports the fact that a restricted market lowers addiction - in fact if you look at the example of the UK, where an open and competitive market operates,  the government estimates that addiction rates are around 0.6% of the adult population, much lower than in many Member States who have a monopoly system in place.

Online betting and gaming is the only industry left in the EU on which such arcane views are held, particularly relating to the restriction of the online market.  The bottom line that we have always tried to communicate to policy and law makers is that consumers online want value, choice and to know they are betting with a safe and regulated company.  Whether that company is physically based in the Netherlands, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Malta, or wherever, doesn't matter to the end user.

In seeking to ban reputable companies like Ladbrokes and Betfair from the Dutch market, all the Dutch authorities are doing is forcing their consumers to use unregulated operators from outside the EU.  It is not as if banning regulated companies in a territory is suddenly going to stop people seeking out the things they want online, it will just change how - and where - they go to get them.  Lest we forget that one third of online gamblers at any one point in the day are based geographically in the United States.  Need we say more?  Prohibition does not work.

Responding to the announcement John O'Reilly, Managing Director of Ladbrokes eGaming, said: "The Ladbrokes and Betfair cases have clearly demonstrated the fragility of the entire Dutch legal framework in relation to gambling. Today's ruling confirms the need for its replacement with a system that incorporates strong regulation and licensing, but also introduces competition for the benefit of consumers.  Other EU countries have introduced new licensing and regulation systems that embrace competition - it is now time for the Netherlands to do the same."

Meanwhile Betfair's Director of European Public Affairs, Tim Phillips said: "Today's judgment once again demonstrates the need for the European Commission to take a lead on this issue, so that we can separate fact from fiction and settle the online gambling debate once and for all."

That, in a nutshell, is what we at right2bet are trying to do.  We want the Commission to listen to the views of ordinary consumers and stand up and do something about the mess that is currently evident in the regulation of online betting across the EU.  The countless ECJ preliminary rulings we have seen in recent years have changed very little - what we need is decisive action on an EU-wide level to finally settle things once and for all.

One positive move today saw the Court rule that online betting licences must be awarded in a transparent manner.  This is a notable ruling that could cement in law the requirement of all EU Member States to operate licensing regimes in a fair way, so that all operators can apply, no matter what Member State they are from.

That said, a pan-European approach needs to be taken in order to ensure clarity in this area, and that is why we want as many people as possible to sign our petition and add their voice to the thousands already on it.  Sign today by clicking here.

In our weekly blog on gambling portal GX, we have put the situation in The Netherlands in focus.

In a nutshell, it's a shameful situation where Dutch citizens are being denied the considerable benefits of the private sector whilst the government backs a discriminatory regime through De Lotto, the sports betting monopoly.

Read the full article here on GX.

And, of course, if you've not already done so be sure to sign the right2bet petition, follow us on Twitter and tell all your friends!

This weekend the betting challenge went (in mind not body, unfortunately) to sunny Spain for a look at the Barcelona v Valencia match-up.

It was a huge game for Barca, who had to win to keep up with Real Madrid.  It's no surprise, therefore, that the Catalan giants raised their game and came away with a 3-0 victory against third-placed Valencia, who can now definitely forget any hope of a top two finish.

It was a short-odds victory this week, but yet again we see you, the betting public, losing out as a result of archaic and protectionist laws.  Here's the result in numbers:

Odds on a Barca win:
FDJ (Fra): 1.35
De Lotto (Ned): 1.25
Svenska Spel (Swe): 1.38
Danske Spil (Den): 1.35
Lotto Bayern (Ger): 1.35
Best Private Operator: 1.42

Profit on a €10 bet on a draw:
FDJ: €3.50
De Lotto: €2.50
Svenska Spel: €3.80
Danske Spil: €3.50
Lotto Bayern: €3.50
Best Private Operator: €4.20

Profit From Challenge So Far:

(After 17 Weeks)
FDJ: €290.50
De Lotto: €294.50
Best Private Operator: €383.70

(After 12 Weeks)

Svenska Spel: €225.10
Danske Spil: €252
Lotto Bayern: €227
Best Private Operator: €308.70

So not a massive difference this week as Barcelona were always fancied to come away from this one with a vicotyr, by both monopolies and private operators alike.

One obvious point this weekend is The Netherlands, where De Lotto shows how out of touch it is with the rest of Europe's monopolies, let alone the private operators, offering a measly 1.25, compared with 1.35 from the next-worst monopoly and 1.42 from the private sector.

Sign our petition today, and add your name to the fight for freedom of choice in the EU. We need your support and with it, we're confident of making our voices heard.

 

The struggle goes on. Today in a Netherlands courtroom, Advocate-General Yves Bot proclaimed that EU Member States do not have to recognize betting licenes awarded in other Member States and that they also have the right to allow only one single operator to run gambling operations in the country.

AG Bot was giving his opinion in reference to the case which has been brought to the ECJ against the Dutch Government by betting firms Ladbrokes and Betfair.

It's firstly important to recognize that Bot's comments, while part of the overall proceedings, are not legally binding and are only his recommendation, yet even so his words on this occasion will do little to help the EU be rid of the State gambling monopolies which offer consumers horrendous betting opportunities.

As well as saying that a government can  be free to grant just one license, Bot also said that it would be OK for that operator to advertise its services, which could include new games too.

This smacks of utter hypocrisy. Sure, the AG did add as a side note that advertising and games were fine as long as they 'didn't encourage addiction', however we all know that State run operators are nowhere near as good at caring for customers when compared to their private counterparts.

It is the two-faced nature of the current situation which angers us most. How monopolies claim to be 'better for the public', yet they advertise and offer the same products as banned private operators, while at the same time, being far inferior in terms of product offered, customer care and crime prevention.

It appears that the The AG has attempted to give a green light to monopolies to not only continue, but expand their offerings and the way they are marketed.

It wasn't all gloom and doom however, with the AG stating that the freedoms stipulated in Article 49 EC are relevant in the context of a gambling industry which has just one operator.

And when one considers that the Dutch Government have awarded their one and only betting licence to De Lotto for years and years, then surely according to the AG, they have not been practicing the fundamental principles of freedom of competition which Article 49 relates to.

As a caveat to that though, he went on to state that governments do  have the right to restrict these freedoms in order to protect "public order, the prevention of fraud, or the protection of consumers".

How ironic then, that once again, it is the consumers who are set to be the biggest losers of this latest judicial opinion.

Let's hope the ECJ take Yves Bots words with a hefty pinch of salt!

 

 

Liverpool have had a bad run of results of late and failed to get a home win once again this weekend, this time against big-spending Manchester City.  Rafa Benitez is under real pressure to deliver results now and restlessness from The Kop can be heard a million miles away.

The Anfield faithful might well be upset, but if you are a Liverpool fan from France, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden or Denmark you should be in tears this morning.

If you had been savvy enough to have a bet on the draw, just to dampen the pain of not winning, you would have got odds of 3.46 with the best private operator, meaning winnings of €24.60 with which to buy yourself a consolatory beer.

Had you bet with any of the monopoly gambling operators in the countries listed above, you'd have been lucky to have enough for the bus fare home.

Liverpool v Manchester City: Odds On The Draw

FDJ (Fra)                                  3.0
De Lotto (Ned)                       2.95
Svenska Spel (Swe)             2.2
Danske Spil (Den)                3.25
Lotto Bayern (Ger)                2.8
Best Private Operator*       3.46

 

Profit From A 10 Euro Bet On The Draw

FDJ                                         €20
De Lotto                                €19.50
Svenska Spel                       €12
Danske Spil                          €22.50
Lotto Bayern                         €18
Best Private Operator*       €24.60

Profits From The Challenge So Far (after seven bets)

FDJ                                            €124 (-30%)
De Lotto                                    €133.4 (-25%)
Best Private Operator*          €176.80

 

Profits From The Challenge So Far (after two bets)

Svenska Spel (Swe)               €55.50 (-42.6%)
Danske Spil (Den)                   €87.50 (-10%)
Lotto Bayern (Ger)                  €58 (-40%)
Best Private Operator*          €96.80

 

Do you want us to cover the odds in a particular game from where you are?  We can do no problem, send us an email (mike@right2bet.net) and we'll get it done!

 

*Note: throughout this challenge any applicable commission associated with private operators has been taken off the weekly and total winnings.

 

Well here's something you don't see every day.  Some canny worker at Subaru managed to defraud the company of millions of Euros and then, not satisfied with his paltry take, headed straight for the shining lights of Holland Casino in Scheveningen and Amsterdam.  It is reported that he scammed €23 million from the car giant over 10 years.

How this was allowed to happen is unfathomable.  Under strict license requirements placed on private EU operators, a customer's identity is required to be verified and sums of such monstrous size would not be permitted without knowing where the money was coming from.  That isn't just private operators doing it for their own good - they are legally required to do so under the terms of their licenses.

Thank heaven for a well-regulated, licensed and transparent gambling regime.  Oh wait - that's not the case in the Netherlands.  Darn it.

Apparrently, instead of making appropriate enquiries about where the money came from and checking whether this guy had an addiction issue, Holland Casino actually pampered him  and rolled out the red carpet for all his visits.

According to fd.nl, the man received his own private parking space at the casino, was given free food on demand and was handed tickets to various shows, concerts and sporting events.

Holland Casino had previously denied any responsibility for the matter, but this did not stop Subaru starting legal proceedings against the company.

The car giant has now concluded a reported €2.3 million damages claim in an out-of-court settlement.

Why don't the Netherlands take this as a sign that a legal and licensed gambling regime is the safest and most effective way of protecting customers and keeping crime out of gambling?  We implore the authorities to think again and see sense.

Sign our petition today and help us take the fight to the Dutch Government and authorities in Brussels 

It's bet number three of the right2bet betting challange and we had a go on the Lyon/Liverpool crunch match in the Champions League.

Liverpool took the lead in the 83rd minute after a superb strike from Ryan Babel, only to throw the lead, and their Champions League lifeline, away as Lisandro snuck in to equalise.

So, €10 on the draw again, the same result as last night's challenge.

The odds on the draw were:
Best-priced private operator*: 3.45
De Lotto (Netherlands): 3
FDJ (France): 2.95

So that means our €10 made us:
Best-priced private operator*: WON €23.27
De Lotto:  WON €20
FDJ: WON €19.5

The challenge so far, after three games:
Private operators*: €53.97 PROFIT
De Lotto: €45.50 PROFIT
FDJ: €41.50 PROFIT

And yet another set of matches pass with the punter getting shoddy value from those evil state-run monopolies.  You would have won €4.50 more with a private operator than either De Lotto of FDJ.  After three games of the right2bet betting challenge you would be nearly €10 better of had you had access to everything the free market had to offer.

Now that's what I call an injustice.

Don't let this go on any longer.  Stand up for your right to choose the best value and sign our petition today.

*Note: throughout this challenge any applicable commission associated with private operators has been taken off the weekly and total winnings.

In the second bet of the right2bet betting challange we had a punt on the AC Milan/Real Madrid game in the Champions League.

So, €10 on the draw this time, as the result ended 1-1 with Brazilian star Ronaldinho equalising for the home side.

The odds on the draw were:
Best-priced private operator*: 3.45
De Lotto (Netherlands): 3.05
FDJ (France): 2.8

So that means our €10 made us:
Best-priced private operator*: WON €23.28
De Lotto:  WON €20.5
FDJ: WON €18

The challenge so far, after two games:
Private operators*: €39.48 PROFIT
De Lotto: €25.50 PROFIT
FDJ: €22 PROFIT

So another bad night for the monopolies.  You would have won €4 more with a private operator than either of the European monopolies we're looking at, and the clear story so far is that the French are the ones really getting screwed.

Same again tonight, when we'll be looking at Lyon v Liverpool.

Don't let this injustice go on any longer.  Stand up for your right to choose the best value and sign our petition today.

*Note: throughout this challenge any applicable commission associated with private operators has been taken off the weekly and total winnings.

We at right2bet want to do something to show you why allowing private betting companies to operate in your country will have a huge impact on you.  You may not think there is an issue here and that you are allowed to bet how you want, but this is not the case in many countries and, what's more, if you're stuck with a monopoly we want to show you how much more value you could be getting if there was a competitive market in place.

Over the next few weeks we'll be taking a look at De Lotto, from the Netherlands, and FDJ, from France.  We are going to put €10 on the winning outcome from a big game in Europe every week and after a few months will tally up the difference between the private operators' price and the monopolies and give the winnings to charity, all along the way showing you what value you're missing out on by being restricted to monopolies around the EU.

In this first week we decided to look at the big derby in London between Arsenal and Tottenham.  There was a lot of expectation going into this game, with Spurs manager Harry Redknapp hinting that they had a real chance.

Well... They didn't, and were well beaten 3-0.

The odds on an Arsenal win were:
Best-priced private operator*: 1.62
De Lotto: 1.5
FDJ: 1.4

So that means our €10 made us:
Best-priced private operator*: WON €5.89
De Lotto: WON €5
FDJ: WON €4

Already, after one bet, you can see how much value you are losing if you are French!

It's also worth noting that with De Lotto and FDJ you don't get nearly as much choice as with the private operator - correct score betting, first goalscorer, last goalscorer, next goalscorer, number of corners, half time score, etc.  It's a disgraceful difference and the monopolies are not allowing consumers the choice and fun they deserve.

Check back next week for the next round of results.  If you have a game you'd like us to cover then contact us!

And, lest we forget... Don't let this injustice go on any longer.  Stand up for your right to choose the best value and sign our petition today.

*Note: throughout this challenge any applicable commission associated with private operators has been taken off the weekly and total winnings.