Dutch regulator Kansspelautoriteit has extended Holland Casino Online’s licence for five years, with the new term starting on 1 October. The renewal allows the operator to keep offering online gambling in the regulated Dutch market until at least 2031.
According to policy rules updated by KSA and described by Blenheim, licences granted in September 2021 expire on 1 October 2026, and follow-on applications from existing holders are now covered by fresh guidance.
Holland Casino chief executive Petra de Ruiter said the company would continue to commit to a safe and responsible online offering, with player protection first. She also said it remained essential that the regulated market stay attractive enough to keep players away from unregulated providers, where supervision and protection are lacking.
The updated KSA rules add more scrutiny for operators seeking to continue. Existing licence holders face reassessment of areas including addiction-prevention policy and recruitment and advertising policy, and the controlled database integration test is repeated.
The regulator also assesses financial continuity when an operator applies. If a provider’s explanation for earlier mistakes is not considered sufficient, KSA can refuse the licence or impose extra conditions and restrictions.
The renewal comes amid a tougher policy backdrop in the Netherlands. In June, the government said it was proposing stricter measures because online gambling has expanded since legalisation and more people have become addicted.
Those measures include a ban on advertising for online gambling, a ban on bonuses including free-play sign-up offers, and work on a comprehensive deposit limit backed by a financial-capacity test for players who want to raise their limit. The government said the test would look, among other things, at whether a player is under guardianship or administration and whether they have payment arrears.
The government also said there are tens of thousands of illegal gambling sites active in the Netherlands. It said those operators offer no protection and do not refer players to help services, increasing the risk of gambling harm.
It is working with KSA on additional tools against illegal supply, including blocking illegal websites and developing clearer legal norms for payment service providers and hosting companies that enable it. The government is also investigating limiting the number of online gambling licence holders.
Holland Casino has also faced a higher tax burden. The gambling tax rate rose to 34.2% of gross gaming revenue in January 2025 and then to 37.8% earlier this year.
The company said the tax increase would cut profits. It reported €13.5 million in extra costs in the first half of 2025 after the initial tax hike, while the finance ministry expected the changes to bring in an extra €200 million a year between 2025 and 2028.
