Holland Casino and Nederlandse Loterij will remain under state control.

The Netherlands.- The Dutch government has decided not to consider the privatisation of state-owned lottery operator Nederlandse Loterij and land-based casino operator Holland Casino. While the government has not ruled out privatisation in the future, it said such a move would not be “feasible and proportionate” at the current time.

The possible privatisation of the state gambling operations had been put forward at a parliamentary committee debate last November as the coalition government evaluated further reforms for the Dutch gambling market. However, in an update to parliament yesterday, state tax secretary Tjebbe Van Oostenbruggen and state secretary for legal protection Teun Struycken said the government’s current priority is reforming online gaming regulations. 

They said that a privatisation of state gambling concerns would require major changes to legislation and regulation and could increase the risk of gambling-related harm.

Van Oostenbruggen said: “The government will retain the Nederlandse Loterij as a state-owned company for the time being. Citizens will retain access to a party that is structured differently from commercial gambling providers. In doing so, the government seeks to take responsibility in a market that clearly has negative aspects and to ensure long-term stability.”

Nederlandse Loterij’s CEO Arjan Blok said that he understood the government’s decision but that he would still like independence from the state to better compete in the regulated gambling market.

“Nederlandse Loterij wants to be the most responsible gambling provider,” he said. “We can be if we can structurally compete with international competitors on the Dutch market. It is precisely in order to maintain this position that Nederlandse Loterij is in favour of independence.”

“It is good to see that the government appreciates the important pioneering role of Nederlandse Loterij and underlines the strategy of our company. Furthermore, it is positive that the government will re-evaluate the shareholding in Nederlandse Loterij in the long term.

“With a safe and responsible range of games of chance, Nederlandse Loterij will continue to perform its social tasks. Because participating is fun, but it should also remain fun.”

As for Holland Casino, the update acknowledges the challenges posed by the rise in Dutch gambling tax. The government said it was working with the operator with the objective of mitigating the impact.

Van Oostenbruggen wrote: “The focus for Holland Casino must currently be on ensuring the continuity of the organization. In the committee debate on state participations of 28 November 2024, I indicated that I am in discussions with Holland Casino about the impact of the increase in gambling tax. This increase is putting pressure on the continuity of the company. These discussions are about measures that can promote recovery and options to tackle the challenges”.

He added: “Holland Casino will have to develop new measures in the coming period in order to remain viable in the long term.”

Back in February, the government announced a proposal for new online gambling reforms to be detailed later this year. Headline proposals include raising the minimum age for online casino slots from 18 to 21, mandatory financial tests for players who want to increase their deposit limit beyond the limits introduced by the Dutch gambling regulator, the KSA, in October, and even tougher advertising restrictions for online casino offerings. 

The latest update confirms that these proposals are still on the table. Van Oostenbruggen wrote: “This more restrictive policy leads to additional measures and stricter legislation and regulations for both the legal supply and for tackling the illegal supply,”