Dutch online gambling revenue sees double-digit decline after tax hike and deposit restrictions
Revenue from the regulated igaming sector has seen the first annual decline since the market opened in October 2021.
The Netherlands.- The Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has reported that gross gaming revenue (GGR) from regulated online gambling in the Netherlands fell by 16 per cent year-on-year in the first half. The regulator’s Autumn Market Report say revenue was around €600m.
While there was a modest rise in the number of player accounts from 1.18m in H2 2024 to 1.29m by the end of June, the average expenditure per player fell. This was attributed to tighter deposit restrictions introduced in the second half of 2024. The KSA noted that average monthly player losses dropped from €146 at the end of 2024 to €119.
However, there are concerns that some players may be shifting to unlicensed platforms. The KSA noted a decline in the proportion of licensed GGR relative to channelisation, down from 51 per cent in December to 49 per cent by January.
The decline in revenue appears to make an acceleration of a trend that began in H2 2024. For 2024 as a whole was up 6 per cent year-on-year at €1.47bn. However, revenue in the second half was 10 per cent lower than in the first. In the previous year, 2023, Dutch online gross gaming revenue rose by 28 per cent year-on-year to €1.39bn.
The regulator has previously noted that the rise in Dutch gambling tax from January led to a decline in the tax take. The tax rate was hiked from 30.5 per cent to 34.2 per cent from January 1, and it’s due to rise further to 37.8 per cent in 2026. The KSA suggested that the impact had been particularly strong on the land-based gambling sector, noting a year-on-year decrease of 9 per cent in the number of gaming venues in the first quarter of 2025, accelerating the average decline of 6 per cent per year observed between 2020 and 2025.
