Even though poker in The Netherlands is not as widespread as in the United States and in Europe, it is continually gaining popularity and gambling trip and more people are becoming active players. One of the reasons why this is so is because of the poker rooms offered in all 14 casinos established legalized casino throughout the entire country.
Annually, the biggest poker tournament happens at the Amsterdam Holland online casinos. This tournament, called "The Master of Classics," is a week-long event that draws players nationwide. To accommodate Michiel Brummelhius becoming the first ever Dutch poker player to join the November Nine World Series of Poker main event final table, the 2013 Master of Classics started November 9, a week earlier than its regular date.
This annual tournament is the commencement of the numerous poker tournaments taking place all year round in the country, clearly indicating that poker has found its way to the Dutch people.
These days, it is unfortunate that Dutch people do not have access to online rooms. Although they can play liberally in any of the poker rooms in casinos, no online room has been established, yet. The reason is that while the government does not entirely ban online gambling, it also does not grant any license for developers to develop such platform. The number of unlicensed foreign online casino sites being blocked by the government is also increasing. In 2013, a fine of EUR 100,000 was imposed to Global Stars.
The fate of online poker tournament in The Netherlands is, however, about to alter. In early 2013, an announcement was made declaring that there will be changes in the country's gambling laws. The government will now legalize it starting January 1, 2015. We can now expect to see more Dutch players joining international online gambling tournaments.