The Netherlands last month announced plans to lift a ban on online gambling in the country and allow it from next year. Right now the government is still forging ahead with Chinese-style plans to ban payments to certain sites from banks. DutchNews.nl carries a story that the recently elected liberal-facing government is producing a list of blacklisted sites to give to banks. The country’s junior justice minister, Fred Teeven, delivered the news.
According to the story, the Dutch Banking Association will send a list to all banks in the Netherlands. The sites will have the choice whether to act or not. The government is expecting to make around €10m per year from the regulated market and is even planning to allow outside operators into the party from 2015.
Elsewhere in the world of gaming, Macau’s monthly “we’re doing really well, in your face Las Vegas” report is out. Gambling revenue in the Chinese gambling enclave passed $2.5billion for the first time last month, up 48% from a year ago. Visitors from Mainland China were the ones to thank for the rise and it matched a rise of the exact same figure for the previous month.
Upon the release, Union Gaming analyst Grant Govertsen told the Wall Street Journal that he expects Macau’s gambling revenue to grow more than five times that of Vegas this year. He added that the enclave’s gambling revenue is likely to rise by up to 30% to $30.6billion this year.
It was a good month for those in Macau as Stanley Ho settled his family inheritance dispute. Follow this with Galaxy announcing they’re still pressing on with plans for a $1.9billion super casino in the region and there’s little reason to not visit the enclave. They have a Playboy club after all.
