The legislation, which should have gone through parliament this year, is still pending and it is reported that MPs have doubts about who should be allowed to enter the Dutch market.
In addition, charities fear their income may be hit when online gambling is legalised and traditional lotteries lose support.
Currently, foreign firms are not supposed to target gamblers in the Netherlands, although the ban is widely ignored. The current laws date back 50 years, before the advent of internet.