The possibility of the Netherlands‘ gambling reforms pressing ahead is under question after a collapse within the governing coalition threw the nation’s politics into shambles.

Tensions within the four-party coalition boiled to a burst only a year after it took power. Geert Wilders, leader of the biggest coalition party PVV (Party for Freedom), stormed out of an emergency meeting called by PM Dick Schoof as a last-ditch effort to iron out their differences.

Wilders, a right-wing politician, posted on social media that PVV is withdrawing its support with immediate effect minutes after walking out. The reason – demands for a new immigration policy that the other three parties refused to sign.

The PM’s response

After Wilders’ remarks, Schoof fired back by calling his actions “irresponsible and unnecessary”. Shortly after, the PM announced that he had requested the resignations of all PVV-nominated MPs, mobilising those left in power into a caretaker formation.

“Continuing in a caretaker capacity, the government will do everything that is in the interests of the people of our country, within the scope provided by the House of Representatives,” Schoof said.

New elections are now on the horizon, most likely by the end of this year, with Schoof stating that he would like to serve as a PM again. However, Wilders has also called dibs on the role, hoping to capitalise on national anti-immigration sentiments.

What does this all mean for Dutch gambling? 

Besides the land-based monopoly of Holland Casino, the Netherlands is generally a liberalised market, especially when it comes to online play.

The Remote Gambling Act (KOA) of 2021 opened the gates for international and domestic private operators, with iGaming GGR taking on a growth trajectory ever since, reaching €1.1bn ($1.19bn) in 2024 alone. The market was re-launched with 10 licence holders back in 2021, but this has now grown to 30.

But as the sector grew, so did the concerns about the black market and problem gambling concerns – leading to wide regulatory reforms most notably spearheaded by Franc Weerwind, who was the Legal Protections Minister between 2022 and 2024.

After Weerwind stepped down, he was succeeded by Teun Struycken, an independent politician who was recommended for the Legal Protections Secretary post by one of the coalition parties, NSC.

On top of inheriting his predecessor’s reforms, Struycken also expanded on them. For example, Weerwind placed affordability limits on the agenda, while the current Secretary began pushing for an age increase to 21 for slots/live casino games.

Similarly, Weerwind’s proposal to ban untargeted advertisements on TV, radio and in public was further developed by Struycken to also include influencers, social media, and streaming platforms.

Although Struycken is still the Legal Protections Secretary, a significant chunk of these reforms will be put on ice now that the working majority government has fallen, with their future solely dependent on the priorities of the next in power.

Potential coalitions and effects on sector

There are a variety of political mashups that we could see emerging from the Netherlands’ next elections. 

Looking at PM Schoof’s cabinet alone, it consisted of four parties – Wilders’ PVV (far-right), VVD (center-right), NSC (centrist), and BBB (agricultural).

Assuming that all parties will retain their electorate, we could easily form a theoretical coalition between PVV, VVD and BBB based on their somewhat similar political ideologies. 

It is safe to say that any coalition which PVV is part of will feature populist messages, which will also include the gambling sector.

Another interesting hypothetical coalition is a left-green union between the GroenLinks (PvdA) and Democrats 66(D66). According to an Ipsos poll from January 2025, PvdA scored between 15% and 16% in the polling data, while D66 was polling at 8.2% at the time.

Such a development would most likely focus on funding social initiatives through gambling taxation – straining the market even more after Schoof enforced 37.8% tax on gambling income by 2026.