The Netherlands to open totalisator licence tender

With the Netherlands maintaining a monopoly on its horse racing betting totalisator, one five-year licence will be up for grabs next month.

The Netherlands.- The Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) will run a tender for the Netherland’s next horse racing betting totalisator licence next month. The regulator will open the licensing process on November 1, with the deadline at the end of the month.

While the Netherlands has recently opened its gaming market, with a licensed online gambling market launching this month, the country maintains a monopoly on the horse race betting totalisator. Sportech subsidiary Zebetting holds the current licence, which expires on June 30, 2022. The next licence will run from July 1 to June 30, 2027.

Applicants must pay a €32,000 non-refundable application fee. The KSA’s requirements against which it will judge applications include details on legal form, location, continuity, integrity policy, internal supervision and experience in offline sports betting. It will make a shortlist before announcing the winning application.

Last year, the Dutch Council of State instructed the regulator to check that its licensing processes for the totalisator were in line with European Union law after Kindred Group’s Trannel subsidiary mounted a legal challenge arguing that the process won by Zebetting had discriminated against rival bidders.

Kindred argued that the KSA’s requirement for applicants to have a land-based presence in the Netherlands excluded many operators from the licensing process. Zebetting has held the Netherlands’ totaliser licence since 1998.