Holland Casino raises “serious doubts” over financial sustainability
The state-controlled casino operator has reiterated concerns for its survival amid a hike in Dutch gambling tax.
The Netherlands.- The state-controlled operator Holland Casino, which runs online gambling as well as a chain of land-based casinos, has again raised questions about its future.
The operator first raised concerns last year when the Dutch government confirmed a two-phase hike in gambling tax. At that time, it called on trade unions to support its opposition to the rise, but the tax increase is going ahead, from 30.5 per cent to 34.2 per cent in 2025 and to 37.8 per cent in 2026.
Following a 4.1 per cent drop in revenue and a €10.5m net loss in 2024, the operator’s CEO Petra de Ruiter has voiced “serious doubts” about the company’s sustainability. She noted that cost-cutting measures have already been taken, including redundancies at head office and across branches. Casinos in Amsterdam West and Rotterdam no longer run 24/7, and the casino in Zandvoor has been closed. But De Ruiter says the operator has now “used up all its available stretch.”
2024 financial results
Holland Casino reported €784m in revenue for 2024, down from €817m in 2023. What’s most worrying is that the decline was mainly seen online, where revenue fell from €116m in 2023 to €85m. Land-based gambling actually held steady, with visitation rising slightly to 5.2 million. However, a pre-tax loss of €1.3m compares to a profit of €32m in the prior year, reflecting increased costs as well as the drop in revenue.
De Ruiter has warned again that tax increases would dent the company’s ability to fund responsible gambling initiatives. “Prevention is a human task,” she said. “Safety and responsible play require sufficient investment space.”
The operator noted its player protection measures taken in 2024, which included the launch of a new online risk detection system and work on its prevention advisory group. That said, preventive conversations actually fell.
In March, Holland Casino announced an internal reorganisation. It created the new role of director of online gambling, which went to Jan Paul van Heemskerck van Beest, formerly director of guest and product development. Meanwhile, the director of digital transformation Jeroen Verkroost left the company on April 1, and his role ceased to exist. Holland Casino Online’s IT department now operates under the director of casino technology and operations support, Pieter Boers.
