On Wednesday, the Dutch Gaming Authority (KSA) revealed plans to commence the application process in January 2027 for a single statutory totalisator license. This license will provide exclusive rights for land-based pool betting on horse racing events within the Netherlands over a five-year term, running from July 1, 2027, to June 30, 2032.
The totalisator license, under Dutch law, is a monopoly, allowing only one operator to offer pool betting services on horse and trotting race results at racetracks and physical betting locations across the nation. It is important to note that online horse racing betting is not included in this license and remains regulated separately through the remote gambling framework outlined in the 2021 Gambling Act.
Currently, ZEbetting & Gaming Nederland holds the existing license, which is set to expire on June 30, 2027. KSA affirmed that the upcoming application process for the new license term will emphasize transparency and competitiveness. Details for submissions, along with the application form, are expected to be made available on the KSA website as early as December 2026.
The official application window will be open from January 4, 2027, until January 31, 2027. Applicants will need to pay a non-refundable processing fee of €40,900 ($45,567) in advance.
The tender process consists of two stages. The initial assessment phase will involve KSA reviewing submissions based on statutory and public interest criteria, which include aspects such as corporate structure, operational continuity, internal supervisory mechanisms, integrity and reliability, outsourcing policies, and incident-response management. A critical responsibility of the licensee will be to implement measures to curb excessive gambling, addiction, and underage betting.
Additionally, applicants must demonstrate prior experience in providing offline sports betting services to showcase their operational capability. They are also required to present their strategies for preventing match-fixing, underlining the regulator's emphasis on integrity within the betting landscape.
If multiple applications pass the initial assessment, a lottery draw will determine the licensee, conducted under notarial oversight to ensure fairness.
Importantly, the license requires that operators financially contribute to the equestrian sector, mandating that 10% of their monthly gross gaming revenue from bets on Dutch horse and trotting races be allocated to support the sport and its infrastructure.
ZEbetting & Gaming, part of the French Zebet/Zeturf enterprise, also operates in France, Belgium, and Malta. The operator had its totalisator license renewed in 2022 following the KSA’s last award procedure. Although the tender process has seen minimal changes over the past four years, the processing fee has increased significantly by 27.8%, rising from €32,000.
