Poker in the Netherlands: GGPoker.nl, Holland Casino and the legal position

The Netherlands opened its regulated online market on 1 October 2021 under the Remote Gambling Act (Wet Kansspelen op afstand). Since then only rooms licensed by the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) may accept Dutch players, and our partner GGPoker runs GGPoker.nl under such a licence. Playing on an unlicensed site is not an offence for the player, but the licensed room is the one whose payouts Dutch law protects.

Live poker is a Holland Casino monopoly: the state-owned chain runs poker rooms in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Breda, Venlo and several other branches, and hosts the Master Classics of Poker in Amsterdam each autumn — one of the oldest festivals in Europe.

What the Dutch licence means

Licensed rooms must connect to CRUKS, the national self-exclusion register, and verify identity before you play. Deposit limits are set at registration and the KSA restricts bonuses and advertising to adults. Poker winnings are not taxed for players on a licensed Dutch room; on unlicensed foreign sites, gambling tax (kansspelbelasting) can in principle be due from the player.

Live poker

Holland Casino Amsterdam West and the branches in Rotterdam, Breda and Venlo have the most regular cash games and tournament schedules. The Master Classics of Poker at Holland Casino Amsterdam has run since 1992 and remains the country's flagship event.

Dutch players

Lex Veldhuis is the country's best-known player and one of poker's biggest streamers; Marcel Lüske, Rob Hollink, Michiel Brummelhuis and Fatima Moreira de Melo have all made Dutch poker history. Profiles are being added.