Holland Casino reports €353.4m in revenue for H1 – more than in all 2021

Almost a quarter of Holland Casino’s revenue came from online gambling.

The Netherlands.- The Dutch state-run casino brand Holland Casino has reported revenue of €353.4m for the first half of the year. That’s more than all of its revenue in Covid-19-impacted 2021 (full year: €304.2m).

The figures show a strong recovery for its land-based casinos, which were closed for periods last year. But at €82.8m, close to a quarter of its revenue came from online gambling, which launched in the Netherlands last October.

Holland Casino reported EBITDA of €40m and a pre-tax profit of €8.2m. It paid off €51.7m in taxes deferred during the pandemic and is due to pay off the remainder of the €313.4m it deferred in 60 instalments, but chief financial officer Ruud Bergervoet said the operator may pay off the deferred tax more quickly.

The operator also repaid €51.7m worth of taxes that had been deferred due to the impact of the pandemic during the half-year. In total, the business had €313.4m deferred.

Holland Casino director of operations Noël Leise said: “Fortunately, our loyal guests have found Holland Casino again en masse, and our committed employees do everything they can to ensure that they have a great time.

“We also see that our online guests continue to appreciate our offer despite the increasing competition. We therefore expect a positive year for Holland Casino. Of course, that still depends on Covid developments in the autumn and how quickly we can have enough employees in the tight labour market.

“But these half-year figures again form a promising basis. In the coming six months, we will continue to build a stable, responsible and future-proof company with renewed energy.”

In June, Holland Casino agreed pay rises plus a one-off extra payment to cover employees against rising inflation. In negotiations with two unions, FNV and De Unie, it has committed to a 2.5 per cent pay increase from this month plus a €350 one-off payment for all full-time staff.

In May, it named Petra de Ruiter as its new CEO. She will replace Erwin van Lambaart who announced his departure last month to take up the CEO position at Casinos Austria. De Ruiter is currently chief operating officer at aviation group Transavia, where she is responsible for business operations. She has also worked in roles at Air France-KLM.