The central government has announced that it will be possible to license online gambling under strict conditions from mid-2020. This will make it possible for players in Malta to gamble safely online in a fair market. In 2016, the bill was passed by the House of Representatives and on 19 February 2019 by the Senate.
The regulation of online gambling has really been a necessity. Also because there is no English supervision of how players gamble at foreign providers. That potentially encourages gambling addiction more quickly. Now the government gets a better grip on preventing gambling addiction. The lack of supervision also creates the possibility that players will end up with rogue providers. The new legislation will change this. Control applies to all types of games, even lightning roulette online.
The new remote gaming law was not accepted by the Senate without a fight. There was namely division in the coalition in the Senate. The political parties VVD, Green Left, and D66 have voted for the introduction of the law. So did the PVV and the PvdA. However, there were also parties against the introduction. Both the CDA and CU cast an opposing vote. The same goes for the Party for the Animals, SGP, 50Plus, SP, and the Independent Senate Group. Incidentally, GroenLinks made another plea to ban advertising for casino websites and other gambling sites. However, the majority was against this proposal. The SGP made a proposal to further study such an advertising ban. This proposal was, incidentally, adopted by the Senate.
Legal gambling will soon be possible in 2022 at the earliest. It may take a little longer if not everything goes smoothly. In that case, it is likely that it will not be until 2023 before players in Malta can gamble legally online. The gambling sites that have previously been guilty of actively targeting the Dutch market have a problem. These parties will not be eligible for a gaming license for the first two years. Furthermore, the plan to privatize the Holland Casino has been shelved. Therefore, many people wondered how the casino demo mode works. For this, Minister Sander Dekker of Legal Protection will come up with another proposal.