Holland Casino Online licence extended to 2031

• Kansspelautoriteit has extended Holland Casino Online’s licence by five years, effective 1 October 2026.
• The renewal keeps the state-owned operator regulated in the Netherlands through 30 September 2031.
• It follows renewals for Fair Play Online, TOTO Online and Kansino, as the original 2021 licence cohort works through reassessment.

Holland Casino has welcomed a decision by the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) to extend the licence for Holland Casino Online by five years, effective 1 October 2026.

The renewal keeps the state-owned operator regulated in the Netherlands through 30 September 2031, alongside roughly 30 other KSA licence holders competing for Dutch players.

Trust reaffirmed

Holland Casino said the decision confirms confidence in its online operation, following the KSA’s review of its supervisory record since the Dutch market regulated in October 2021. Renewal decisions weigh an operator’s compliance history and player protection performance over the previous licence term.

In Holland Casino’s announcement, Petra de Ruiter, chief executive of Holland Casino, said:

“We will continue to commit to a safe and responsible online offering, where player protection always comes first. At the same time, it remains essential that the regulated market is attractive enough to keep players away from unregulated providers, where supervision and protection are lacking.”

Renewal cycle turns

Holland Casino Online competes against a broad field of licensed rivals. Bet365, Unibet, TOTO Online, GGPoker, Betnation, 711, Circus and Jacks.nl are among roughly 30 KSA licence holders active in the market, some of which operate more than one consumer-facing brand.

Several have faced recent regulatory scrutiny of their own. The KSA warned Betnation operator Smart Gaming over a Cruks compliance gap that let a self-excluded player gamble undetected, and fined operator 711 for a duty of care failure spanning 2022 to 2024.

The first licences issued when the Dutch online market opened in October 2021 are reaching the end of their initial five-year terms. Holland Casino’s renewal follows similar decisions for Fair Play Online, TOTO Online and Kansino, confirmed in the days before, as the KSA works through that cohort under tightened application rules that took effect on 1 January 2026, requiring operators to file an “exit plan” for winding down if a renewal fails.

Tax and scrutiny bite

The renewal lands at a difficult financial moment. The Dutch gambling tax has risen in two stages, from 30.5% of gross gaming revenue to 34.2% in January 2025, then to 37.8% in January 2026.

A joint Ministry of Finance and KSA report estimated the increase reduced Holland Casino’s pre-tax profit by around €27 million in 2025 and by roughly €54 million in 2026.

The squeeze comes alongside a widening enforcement push. The KSA fined Vave.com parent Chestoption €3.08 million for offering unlicensed gambling to Dutch players, and trade body VNLOK has filed a lawsuit against Meta, accusing the platform of failing to stop a flood of unlicensed gambling adverts.

Licensed operators have gained some legal clarity elsewhere. The Dutch Supreme Court recently ruled in a way narrowing automatic refund claims tied to pre-2021 gambling contracts, though individual cases may still succeed on narrower grounds.

That has not stopped the government pursuing further restrictions: State Secretary Claudia van Bruggen’s proposed advertising and bonus curbs, announced in June, still require legislation and have not yet cleared parliament.

For Holland Casino, a secured licence removes one uncertainty from an otherwise costly and closely watched picture. The bigger question, shared across the Dutch licensed sector, is whether current tax and advertising settings leave enough room to compete against a substantial illegal market that continues to draw players away from licensed platforms.