The Netherlands rules out rethink on gambling tax hike
The state secretary for taxation has recognised that gambling tax revenue has fallen due to the hike.
The Netherlands.- Eugène Heijnen, the Netherlands’ state secretary for taxation, has ruled out changes to plans for a further rise in Dutch gambling tax. That’s despite recognition that this year’s increase actually led to a decrease in tax revenue.
The Dutch gambling 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 Ministry of Finance had expected the rise to generate an extra €200m a year, but the Dutch gambling regulator, the KSA, confimed last month that Dutch gambling tax revenue declined in the first half of 2025 amid decreases in gross gaming revenue (GGR) in both the online and the land-based gambling markets.
As reported by Casino Nieuws, Heijnen responded to parliamentary questions last week saying that the government had no plans to make changes to counteract the decline in revenue. “It’s true that the estimate for revenue has been revised downwards this year. This picture is broadly consistent with the expectations communicated by the KSA in a recent report,” he said.
While the KSA initially expected to see a €100m rise in annual online gambling GGR this year, it now expects a decline of €40m. The online gambling trade body VNLOK has claimed that the decline is due to a combination of several new measures.
The tax hike at the start of the year came soon after the introduction of new deposit limits for online gambling. Meanwhile, the Netherlands introduced a ban on gambling sponsorship in sports in July.
Heijnen took up this current role this month. His predecessor Tjebbe Van Oostenbruggen resigned in August along with Teun Struycken, the state secretary who had responsibility for gambling policy, due to the government’s decision to block sanctions against Israel. Struycken had planned further gambling reforms, including an increase in the minimum age for online slots. The future of these proposals is now unclear.
