Online sports betting is popular in the Netherlands and an increasing number of betting sites offer player registration for bettors located in the country.

Across Europe and the EU, laws & regulations around online sports betting differ significantly between countries but as of October 2021, gambling is legal in the Netherlands.

Many of the biggest betting sites accept registrations from Dutch players.

Here at Bookiesbonuses.com, we do the research on the betting sites available in the Netherlands and let you make smart choices about who to bet with.

Since the licensing system came into fruition in the autumn of 2021, the sports betting market has started to see significant changes. If you want further information on the current situation, please visit My Bookmakers NL. 

Now that online gambling is legalised and regulated in the Netherlands, there is no longer a grey area when it comes to signing up to betting sites and placing wagers regularly.

You can now follow clear guidelines, and can lock your bets in knowing that your activity and money is fully safe and secure.

Setting yourself up with a new account should be a fairly simple process, but if you are unsure, follow our 4-point guide below.

Betting Sites: Getting Started

1. Having selected a bonus offer from one of the bookies listed above, you’ll need to enter your personal details (name, address, email address etc.) into the on-screen registration form. Here you’ll also create a username and password for your account which will need to be kept for your eyes only to avoid your account potentially becoming compromised.
2. A legitimate bank account will be required to transfer monies to and from. This needs to be added also.
3. You can deposit via all the common methods including a bank card (VISA/MASTERCARD), e-wallets such as Skrill and Neteller, or even a traditional bank transfer, though this may take some time. iDEAL, a Dutch payment system that allows users to freely deposit and withdraw on any betting site through their bank account, is also a popular payment method.
4. Add sufficient funds to your account in order to qualify for the free bet or bonus offer and away you go! Happy Betting!

Now that there are actually going to be fully legal betting options for players in the Netherlands, it's not just a case of finding any betting site that will have you.

Those days are over! Now, you can pick and choose your bookmakers based on a series of categories that help you decide whether or not a betting site is the right one for you.

So, what matters and what doesn't?

There are of course several factors that play a role in determining the best betting sites in the Netherlands. However, there are also basic requirements that must be met in order for the other factors to even play a role.

Does the betting site accept Dutch players?

The first and most basic question. Obviously, you need the bookmaker to allow Dutch players to register.

Does the bookmaker have a good reputation?

Now that there is a licensing system in place, this is less of an issue because all online betting sites that you sign up with must follow the gambling laws that are now in place.

But the bookies with a great reputation are generally the best to use.

Does the bookmaker have good markets and features?

As you will know if you are from the Netherlands, the Dutch love a bet on football and field hockey - both of which have massive followings in the country.

You want those popular sports to have plenty of matches and bet types within them, and you also want cool features like the bet builder and odds boosts.

What promotions can you claim?

Most, if not all, betting sites have a welcome bonus that might contain either free bets, risk-free bets, or a deposit bonus.

There may also be existing customer promotions that you can snap up throughout your time with the bookie as well.

You want a betting site that provides you value in the long run, not just short term.

Does the betting site offer good payment methods?

Some Dutch bettors are happy to deposit and withdraw by debit card, but those bookmakers that go the extra mile and offer eWallets are preferred by some.

It all comes down to convenience.

Not everybody wants to share their bank details, but if you are skeptical about this, you needn't be, because all licensed bookmakers are completely safe.

There's an English saying that "the best things in life are free". Well, the online bookmakers love giving out free bets to new Dutch players!

The free bet sign-up offer is a very common and generous offer that you can find on the online betting sites today. Together with other kinds of offers used to attract new customers, the bookies use free bet sign-up offers to get you to sign-up for an account and be one of their players.

Smart players can often make a tidy profit from free bets.

‘Free Bets’ is a term used in different ways by different bookies. A smart player will always investigate what a bookie means when it uses the term ‘free bet’. They tend to come with conditions attached, and if you win you usually aren't allowed to keep the stake of the free bet. Still, smart players can often make a tidy profit from free bets.

You should keep in mind a few things when checking out free bet offers from various online betting sites:

Deposit bonus

Although the most well known, free bets are only one kind of the many different sign up offers available. In the United Kingdom, free bets dominate the market, but in the rest of Europe, deposit bonuses are more common.

A deposit bonus is a bonus where the amount depends on your first deposit. Normally, the bonus is 100% of your first deposit, up to a certain amount. For example 100% bonus up to €50. This means that if you deposit €30, you get €30, if you deposit €40, you get €40, and so forth.

A bonus of this kind is not immediately withdrawable of course. Instead, it comes with strings attached, called turnover requirements. These requirements describes how many times the bonus needs to be played-through before being withdrawable.

Normally that number is between 5-20x the bonus amount.

There is no better or worse offer when comparing free bets and deposit bonuses. It all depends on the specific offer and the players preference.

The Netherlands Gaming Control Board was formed in 1966 with the purpose of regulating gambling in the country. The government wanted to be able to control all sorts of gambling and betting but faced a bit of a hurdle when the online sports betting market began to explode and Dutch punters started to use international bookmakers.

Regulations were changed in October 2021 - and betting is now legal in the Netherlands.

The Dutch state wanted to keep profits 'in-house', and had authorised De Lotto - the state monopoly company - to operate the sports betting industry within the Netherlands. 

In February of 2019, the Dutch Senate passed the “Remote Gambling Act” and finally regulations were changed in 2021 - so it is now possible for more operators to offer betting services.

Big interest in licenses

Many operators have expressed an interest in a Dutch license, including market-leading betting sites. However, for some, it might be hard to come by a license. 

Dutch authorities have earlier stated that operators that previously have targeted Dutch players won’t be given licenses. For example, giants Unibet and Bwin were fined for serving Dutch customers during 2019.