Dutch gov't: gambling tax revenue 23% lower than expected in 2025 and 2026 ...and more!

Netherlands Gambling Authority issues new guidance on duty of care to land-based operators

The Netherlands Gambling Authority has provided casino and gaming arcade operators with updated guidance on how to implement their duty of care obligations.

The new guidance focuses on five key areas:

1.         Addiction prevention policies

2.         Mandatory player education

3.         Access control and ID verification

4.         Monitoring playing behavior

5.         Intervention in cases of risky behavior

Netherlands Gambling Authority Chair, Michel Groothuizen commented: "Certain key elements of operators’ duty of care are easier to monitor in an online environment than in land-based venues. In our conversations with arcade owners, we have noticed that they want to do more regarding duty of care but sometimes struggle with its proper implementation. With this new guidance, we are giving them new tools to do so.”

ICE reveals plans for 2026

During its recent Media Partners Dinner, Clarion Gaming, the organizers of the annual ICE trade show, revealed their plans for the 2026 edition of their event.

Besides featuring an additional exhibition hall, ICE will also organize more events focused on attendee comfort, including a well-being run, unwind sessions, and networking dinners.

Moreover, ICE Barcelona will be the centerpiece of the World Gaming Week, which – besides ICE itself – will also feature iGB Affiliate and a host of other special events around the city of Barcelona.

ICE Barcelona 2026 takes place January 19-21.

Belgian regulator: “We fear that young players are moving to the black market”

Magali Clavie, President of Belgium's Kansspelcommissie, revealed in an interview with Focus Gaming News that young players are probably turning to illegal operators following the increase of the minimum gambling age from 18 to 21:

Before the new regulation, we identified around 30,000 new players aged between 18 and 20 each year. This group used to be able to play but is no longer allowed to.

The question now is what these young people are doing. Have they really stopped playing? We conducted a survey in the spring and found that nearly 40 per cent of young people under the age of 21 admitted to still playing games of chance. We fear that they have turned to illegal offerings, as the survey showed that nearly half of young people knew of at least one illegal website by name. Our surveys do indeed teach us that legal operators are losing brand recognition amongst young people, whereas illegal operators are gaining awareness within this group

Italy reveals plans to build “cybersecurity shield” to defend against illegal gambling

Italy is preparing to overhaul its defenses against illegal gambling as the Ministry of Economy and Finance sets out plans for a national “cybersecurity shield” in the forthcoming Budget Law.

The measure will require any business offering public internet access to install anti-illegality software on devices ranging from PCs and kiosks to tablets. Developed jointly by ADM – Italy’s Customs & Monopolies Agency – and state-owned tech hub SOGEI, the software will automatically block connections to unauthorized gambling domains.

However, the new measure will not cover any privately-owned devices.

Norway unlikely to move away from monopoly model after recent elections

In the wake of the nation’s Labour Party recent election victory, a change in gambling legislation in Norway is unlikely in the near-term.  

This means that the nation’s current monopoly operator, Norsk Tipping, is likely to continue under its current regime, with enforcement tools such as payment and DNS blocking any foreign or unregulated alternative operators set to remain a key area of focus through Norway’s upcoming four-year parliamentary term. 

Dutch gov't: gambling tax revenue 23% lower than expected in 2025 and 2026

The Dutch government revealed in its 2026 annual budget that the expected gambling tax revenue will be approximately 23% lower than foreseen in both 2025 and 2026 – despite significant tax rate hikes.

In 2024, the Dutch government decided to increase the gambling tax rate from 30.5% to 34.2% in 2025 and 37.8% in 2026, expecting to collect an additional €200m annually from 2026 onward.

Industry experts, however, predicted (and continue to predict) that the tax hikes would be counterproductive. As it turns out, total gambling tax revenue collected in 2025 will be roughly identical to the amount collected in 2024, roughly 23% lower than originally estimated despite a significant rate hike. Projected 2026 gambling tax revenue is also expected to be approximately 23% lower than originally estimated.

According to the government, the disappointing (projected) tax yields are caused by a combination of stricter regulation as well as the higher tax rate itself. Nonetheless, the government earlier announced that it saw no reason to reconsider the gambling tax rate increase.

Following the publication of the 2026 budget, state-owned Nederlandse Loterij publicly called on the government to refrain from implementing the proposed 2026 tax increase – a call that was repeated by trade associations VAN Kansspelen and VNLOK.

According to Nederlandse Loterij and both trade associations, the tax increase is harmful to the industry and pushes players to illegal alternatives without offering any benefits to the national budget.