Holland Casino Online has successfully secured a five-year extension of its online gambling licence from the Netherlands Gaming Authority (Kansspelautoriteit), as announced on Thursday. The licence extension, effective from 1 October 2026, permits the operator to continue providing its online gambling services within the Dutch regulated market until at least 2031.
This renewal reaffirms the regulator's support for Holland Casino Online. CEO Petra de Ruiter emphasized the company's commitment to ensuring a safe and responsible online environment centered on player protection. "At the same time, it remains essential that the regulated market is attractive enough to keep players away from unregulated providers, where supervision and protection are lacking,” she stated.
The need to maintain an attractive regulated market is a priority for the KSA, especially following concerns regarding Betcity and TOTO Winkel allegedly breaching the advertising ban on role models in gambling. The government enacted a nearly complete ban on gambling advertisements in June.
The licence extension arrives just months after significant tax increases for the gambling sector took effect. In January 2025, the gambling tax rate surged to 34.2% of gross gaming revenue (GGR), subsequently rising to 37.8% earlier this year. Holland Casino has criticized the tax hike, asserting that this increase will adversely affect its profitability. During the first half of 2025, the operator reported an additional €13.5 million in costs due to the first phase of the tax hike.
The government has pledged to engage with the operator regarding the implications of the tax hike, affirming last year that Holland Casino will not undergo privatization. The Ministry of Finance previously indicated that it projected collecting an extra €200 million annually from 2025 to 2028 following the approval of the tax increase in September.
