First of all, there is a very practical one: investing money with iDeal is only possible in Dutch licensed online casinos. In any other casino, you will have to resort to more sophisticated systems of payments or even Bitcoin, along with all the associated risks. For most players in the Netherlands, being able to deposit funds into a casino with iDeal is a sufficient reason to bet at licensed Dutch casinos.
However, there are many other advantages:
- You Won't Be Fooled: In order to operate in the Netherlands, if an online casino wishes to do so, every game has to be tested and confirmed by Dutch regulatory bodies. This includes both live dealer casino tables and online slots, for example, roulette and blackjack. This ensures you are 100% certain of the game's fairness.
All online slots use a random number generator (RNG), which ensures game results are random. This means the website owner cannot in any way affect games.
Regulation for fair play is less or not at all present in unlicensed Dutch casinos. There are even some casinos offering simulations of the most popular games where winning is practically impossible or simply nearly impossible.
- Your Chances of Winning are Clear: Online casinos in the Netherlands are required to make the payout percentage, or Return to Player (RTP), for every game visible for you to see. Then you'll know the casino's edge on each game. You can then compare the odds of winning across games and identify which online casino returns the highest pay.
- Your Money Is Safe: Your money in your account at your online casino is yours. But supposing the casino goes bust? For example, because another player wins a fortune?
Your funds are always safe in online legal casinos. In each casino, they arrange it differently. Sometimes the players' money is stored in a special account or a fund. The casino may also have a bank guarantee. In all situations, even if the casino becomes bankrupt, you will get your money.
Payment with iDeal at an approved casino is safe as well. All approved websites adhere to the highest protection standards and protect your data using techniques like SSL encryption.
- Your Wins Are Tax-Free: When you win cash while playing at an approved Dutch internet casino, you don't pay gambling tax on the win. The casino already pays a gambling tax on its profit. That leaves you with 29.5% of your win.
If you make a Dutch license-free casino win, you must pay tax. If this is insignificant, nobody will make the effort to do so. But if you hit a jackpot of 10 million euros on Mega Moolah or WowPot, you cannot keep this under wraps and you must pay 2.95 million euros in tax.
- You'll Get Dutch Help: Customer support at all online casinos operating legally is available in Dutch, and is 24/7. By phone, email, or chat, if you have a problem or a question, you will always get instant help in your own language.
Illegal sites never provide customer assistance in Dutch because by doing so, they would add to the likelihood of fines from the Gambling Authority.
- Your Information Is Safe: A legit casino will never sell out your data. When you register on legal online casinos in the Netherlands, you won't be bombarded with unwanted promotional emails from another casino or Bitcoin seller. Or, god forbid: phone calls and messages.
Licensed online gaming sites take your privacy seriously, because violating that will invite a penalty or even the revocation of their license.
- You Play Responsibly: At all internet Dutch licensed casinos, you must set some limits when you join. You set the maximum number of hours you want to gamble per week, the maximum amount of money you want to put in, and how much you want to lose. When you reach any of these limits, you will be stopped from gambling online any longer. This manner, you can control your gaming behavior in advance and reduce the likelihood of turning into gambling addict.
Are All Legal Online Casinos in the Netherlands Reliable?
Yes, licensed Dutch online casinos are absolutely reliable. The Dutch online gambling license has the most rigorous application process of any country in Europe. The Gambling Authority is extremely strict. All must be perfect, and if even a single question arises about the reliability of an applicant, the application will be rejected.
Additionally, taking out such a license is very expensive and time-consuming. Firstly, you need to pay 48,000 euros to the Gambling Authority upfront, but that's only the beginning. You will be shelling out an awful lot of lawyers, inspection firms, and other advisers before it is accepted.
Does that imply that nothing ever goes wrong in a legal Dutch casino online? Of course not. There are human employees at casinos who make mistakes. But if something does go wrong, at least you can be sure it's not due to the unreliability of the casino online.
If you do have a complaint about one of the Netherlands legal gambling websites, you can generally resolve it by talking to the casino. If you are unable to agree, you are at least protected by law. You can then talk to a legal advisor in order to follow up your options.