Dutch gambling market grows 21% in 2023
The regulated Dutch gambling market (land-based and online) recorded total gross gaming revenues of €4.0bn, up from €3.3bn in 2022, according to figures published by the Netherlands Gambling Authority.
The biggest drivers of this growth were online casino (34%) and land-based casino (19%). Nonetheless, land-based casino (55%) remained a slightly bigger segment than online casino (45%).
In 2023, the land-based casino sector almost managed to return to pre-Covid levels.
The average Dutch adult spent €272 on licensed gambling offers in 2023, up from €258 in 2022, which is still significantly lower than the EU average of €339 (€312 in 2022).
Looking specifically at the online market, there were an estimated 455,000 active players in each month in H1 2024, up slightly from 452,000 in H2 2023. An estimated 5.4% of the adult population in the Netherlands played online in the first half of 2024, 95% of whom did so exclusively with licensed operators.
However, licensed operators generated only an estimated 87% of all online revenues stemming from the Netherlands, down from 90% in 2022.
Trade associations NOGA and VNLOK both expressed concern about the apparent growth (in financial terms) of the black market and called on the Netherlands Gambling Authority to monitor this development closely.
Netherlands Gambling Authority issues remote licenses to Lucky 7 Casino and Starcasino
The Netherlands Gambling Authority has issued the country's 31st and 32nd remote licenses to Lucky 7 Casino and Starcasino.
Lucky 7 Casino received a license to offer online casino games. Starcasino, which is already active in the Belgian and Spanish markets, will be allowed to offer both online casino games and sports betting.
Presently, 26 out of 32 current licensees are live in the Netherlands.
MPs submit bill to reverse the legalization of online gambling
MPs Derk Boswijk (CDA) and Diederik van Dijk (SGP) have submitted a private member's bill that seeks to reverse the legalization of online gambling – or, alternatively, to outlaw all gambling advertising, increase operators’ duty of care, and increase enforcement against unlicensed operators.
Neither CDA nor SGP are part of the current government and a complete reversal of the prior legalization of online gambling appears not particularly likely at present, although majority support for banning all gambling advertising certainly seems possible.
Not coincidentally, Netherlands Gambling Authority Chair, Michel Groothuizen recently argued in a personal blog post that a full ban on gambling advertising would be likely to have a severely negative impact on the market channelization. “[I]n surrounding countries the market channelization rate decreased sharply after the introduction of advertising bans. In some of these countries, almost half of all players make use of illegal offerings,” Groothuizen said.
Dutch government proposes to investigate stake tax on gambling
In recent years, there has been broad support in the Dutch Lower House for a gambling tax rate differentiation between high-risk and low-risk forms of gambling.
The current tax structure, however, makes such a differentiation legally vulnerable, successive governments have argued.
The explanatory memorandum accompanying the 2025 tax plan (p. 102) now mentions that a different design of the gambling tax, for instance a tax based on stakes rather than GGR, would make a rate differentiation between high-risk and low-risk forms of gambling more likely to succeed. “This could be investigated further,” the memorandum states.
UK government said to consider £3bn tax increase on gambling sector
The UK government is reportedly considering raising taxes on the gambling industry by up to £3bn annually. The proposals would include an increase in remote gaming duty from 21% of GGR to 50%.
Duties on “lower harm” activities, such as the lottery and bingo, would remain untouched.
Sources familiar with the discussions said the Treasury had yet to decide but appeared receptive to tweaking the UK’s complex regime of betting and gaming duties to raise extra funds of between £900m and £3bn, despite opposition from industry lobbyists.
“It’s definitely on the map,” said one source familiar with Treasury thinking.
Save the date: The Las Vegas Book launch party
Years in the making, The Las Vegas Book, a 450-page luxury coffee table book illustrating the fascinating history of Las Vegas with more than 300 impressive photographs, will soon start rolling off the press.
The book's author, Joris Dekkers cordially invites Gaming in Holland members to the Las Vegas Book launch party on Monday, December 9 at LeCarage in Amsterdam.
Please RSVP here.
Don't miss the 2024 Gaming in Germany Conference
Ronald Benter, Co-Chair of the German regulator GGL will headline the 2024 Gaming in Germany Conference. The event, which is set to take place Tuesday, November 5, 2024, at the five-star Hotel Adlon Kempinski in the heart of historic Berlin, will once again be THE place to meet key decision makers and to get the latest information on Germany's online gambling market.
Confirmed speakers include Dr. Jörg Hoffman, Senior Partner, Melchers Law Firm; Mathias Dahms, President, Deutscher Sportwettenverband; Dr. Dirk Quermann, President, Deutscher Online Casinoverband; Dr. Andreas Ditsche, CEO, iGaming.com; and many more!
Register now: https://bit.ly/GiG2024!
ICE 2025 registration now open
ICE 2025 will take place for the first time at its new home, Barcelona's Fira Grand Via, on January 20-22.
Over 50,000 visitors are expected to attend the world's largest global gaming event.
Registration for ICE 2025 is now open.
PS: If you are exhibiting at ICE (or otherwise participating) and need help organizing your tailor-made evening event, please consider contacting Sapyns: https://www.sapyns.com/ice2025.
Dutch government announces revision of Gambling Act
In a letter to the Dutch Lower House, State Secretary for Legal Protection, Teun Struycken announced future changes not just to the Remote Gambling Act (Wet Koa), but also to the underlying overall Gambling Act (Wok):
“Following the evaluation of the Remote Gambling Act (Wet Koa), I will prepare a legislative amendment to the Gambling Act (Wok). Here, I will also reconsider the basic principles on which the Wok is based. The Wok assumes too much of the personal responsibility of players and of operators. The Lower House will receive the results of the evaluation of the Remote Gambling Act – which is currently being carried out on behalf of the Ministry of Justice's Research and Data Center (WODC) – by October 31, 2024, at the latest. Before the end of the year, the Lower House will receive my policy response to the legislative evaluation, in which I will discuss the specific areas where I want to tighten the Wok.”
At present, it is hard to predict how far-reaching the intended revision of the Dutch Gambling Act will be. Based on the rest of the letter, we can certainly expect less room for players to make their own decisions on how they want to play. Cross-operator deposit limits and additional interventions to continuously maintain and increase player awareness can certainly be expected.
A full ban on “very high-risk games,” i.e., online casino games, in accordance with the wishes of a Lower House majority, is not being advocated by the government – although additional (maximum stake?) restrictions can certainly be expected.
More will become clear in the coming months.
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