Casinos open longer: closing time extended to 01:00

Casinos in the Netherlands are allowed to stay open longer. Also, the 1.5-meter rule will most likely disappear if the coronapas are used. The cabinet announced this in the press conference held by Minister of Health, Welfare, and Sport Ernst Kuipers. For the first time, Prime Minister Mark Rutte was not present at the cabinet's corona press conference.

The extended closing time applies to the cultural sector, which includes both gaming halls and Dutch casinos.

Bars and restaurants located in gaming facilities are also allowed to stay open until 01:00. The relaxations are especially good news for large operators like Holland Casino, Jack's Casino, and major online betting sites like https://cricket360.bet/.

With this, the government is implementing the expected relaxation for the cultural sector.

Earlier there was talk of extending the opening hours to 23:00, 00:00, or 01:00. The relaxations will take effect on Friday, February 18, 2022, at 05:00.

Also, the mandatory mouth guards will disappear in these places. For venues in the cultural sector for up to 500 people, the requirement for a fixed seat will disappear.

As of February 25, 2022, the government also wants to abolish the 1.5-meter rule. There is still the question of what exactly will happen to the coronapas. There has been increasing criticism of the use of the pass in recent weeks.

This is because in the 3G form (vaccinated, tested (negative), or cured) it has little effect on limiting the number of new infections.

If the 1.5-meter rule is indeed dropped when using the corona pass, there is a chance that Holland Casino will start offering poker events again.

Earlier, minister Ernst Kuipers already announced that it is very conceivable that later this year all corona rules will be taken off the table.

Before the lifting of the corona measures is possible, the number of infections still has to drop significantly in the Netherlands. Other countries such as Denmark have already decided to lift almost all corona measures.