On behalf of all Dutch MapleStory players I would like to petition the Dutch government's recent ruling of "Koa- Wet Kansspelen op Afstand 2021" (Law Against in Game Gambling Online 2021)- and the action Nexon has taken in implementing this law into MapleStory. Nexon we ask you to reconsider the upcoming changes you have proposed on the GMS MapleStory website.(https://maplestory.nexon.net/news/68654/netherlands-trade-limitations I understand the need to comply with Dutch law's which will block in game features that break any of the rulings however we have assessed this Law and have found no need for the upcoming changes, as no rules are or will be broken under this new law. As we understand it from Government websites this law was intended for Online Gambling such as Casino Games, Sporting bets and Lotteries to protect Dutch citizens from addiction and fraud.

Nexon as a company is taking extreme measures by blocking many in game features for Dutch players, such as the use of Auction House, Meso Market, Cash Shop trading, Trading within game (player with player) and the inability to loot items from other players as well as drop items for other players.
Furthermore Dutch citizens do not understand the measurements to block them from being able to use features such as The Marvel Machine, Gachapon and Philo Books because this Dutch law was intended to stop citizens from being able to make Euros from online gambling. However this is not possible within MapleStory Rules to make real currency from in game events as you cannot exchange Mesos or NX for Euros/Dollars etc. As mentioned on https://iclg.com/practice-areas/gambling-laws-and-regulations/netherlands ""Social" Gaming with no prize in money or money's worth does not fall within the competence of the Gambling Authority, nor will it under the new remote gambling licensing regime"

Dutch players do not understand Nexon's need to stop them from in game trading. By preventing Dutch players from these in game features this essentially will make the game exceptionally inaccessible and utmost unplayable. The whole system of currency within the Game(Mesos) is imperative for all players to be able to play the game as intended as is the need to use the Auction House and be able to sell items you have made as well as purchase upgrades from other players. Not to mention the thousands of dollars that many Dutch players have already spent within the game on items they will now NO LONGER be able to sell or trade.

Additionally as stated on https://kansspelautoriteit.nl/aanpak-misstanden/illegale-online-gokspelen/ should Nexon truly feel that Dutch law is being broken we request a full break down with references to Dutch rulings and furthermore we would also like to highlight that Online gambling websites can allow citizens to play if they are over the age of 18. Should the new issued rulings by Nexon not be able to be changed we would like to ask that Nexon allows Dutch players to prove their age so they can play MapleStory like every other player. We insist that Nexon looks further into this proposed statement with serious intent as the repercussions are immeasurable to Dutch players.

We fundamentally insist that Nexon looks into these new proposed changes whilst there is still time. We write this as loyal and long term fans of MapleStory and we fear that without these features many of your Dutch player base will be forced to quit or play under heavily limited circumstances.

If you are a player (past or present) or fan of MapleStory and understand why this upcoming change from Nexon is so cruel and unjustified please sign & SHARE this petition below and support the Dutch player base within MapleStory. By sharing this post as much as possible this will ensure Nexon take our requests seriously. Thank you!!

Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Maplestory/comments/pziebt/help_us_dutch_people_fight_against_these/

#SaveDutchMaplers on Twitter.

Kind regards,
Zsara - A long term player of Maplestory (GMS - Bera)