Report: Closing Holland Casino would lead to significant increase in illegal gambling ...and more!

Save the date: GiH post-election webinar

Join us on Thursday October 30, at 15:00 CET for a Gaming in Holland webinar in which we will be discussing the outcome of the Netherlands’ Lower House elections the day prior.

How will the new balance of political power impact the Dutch gambling industry? Join our webinar to find out!

More information will be announced soon.

Save the date!

KVA announces information sharing agreement with Dutch regulator

KVA, the Dutch quality mark for responsible affiliates has revealed its ongoing information sharing agreement with the Netherlands Gambling Authority.

KVA regularly launches investigations into the presence of illegal gambling offers, the results of which are then shared with the Dutch regulator.

As of May 2025, KVA also participates in the “Alliantie voor de bestrijding van illegale online kansspelen” (“Alliance for Combating Illegal Online Gambling”), which has been initiated by the Netherlands Gambling Authority.

Netherlands Gambling Authority hits gambling influencers with conditional penalty payments

The Netherlands Gambling Authority has issued conditional penalty payments of up to €75,000 to three influencers – Stiefunspeelt, Turcos and Buurtwachtt – for posting videos to social media showing themselves betting with illegal operators.

The influencers also encouraged their viewers to engage with unlicensed operators and platforms.

Dutch court confirms that bonuses are to be included in gaming revenue

The District Court of The Hague has confirmed that operators must include player bonuses, such as free bets and spins, in their taxable gaming revenue.

JOI Gaming Limited, operator of the Jacks.nl brand, unsuccessfully appealed a tax assessment of the Netherlands Gambling Authority that included free bonus credits in the taxable revenue of the operator.

Greece introduces under-18 ban on gambling-related social media

Greece has confirmed plans to implement a new restriction on underage digital activity, including a ban on minors accessing gambling-related social media content.

Children under 16 will be blocked from accessing all social media, while those aged under 18 will be prevented from engaging with online content related to gambling or other adult products.

The measure, which will use a parental control tool called the Kids Wallet application, places responsibility at the device level and makes Greece the first EU country to enforce such limits.

The rollout is closely linked to broader EU Commission research into age verification systems, where Greece has been chosen as one of five pilot countries.

Upcoming events

• This year's Sustainable Gambling Conference takes place on November 18, 2025, in Brussels. The event brings together researchers and industry leaders to explore how collective action can shape a safer and more sustainable future for gambling.

• Don't miss the 2025 Gaming in Germany Conference, which takes place November 11 in Berlin. This year's edition will focus on the all-important, upcoming evaluation of the 2021 State Gambling Treaty. Don't miss it!

• Registration for ICE Barcelona, which takes place January 19-21, 2026, is now open!

  
  

Ministry of Justice publishes report on Slot Machine Decree modernization

The Ministry of Justice and Security has published a report that explores several potential avenues for modernizing land-based slot machine regulations.

The report's authors investigated the following options:

1. Expanding current payment options to include direct debit.

2. Identifying players on a per-machine basis, which would be relevant for non-casino gaming machines, for instance in bars or restaurants.

3. Increasing the maximum hourly loss (currently unchanged since 2002) in combination with giving players the ability to set individual loss limits.

4. Allowing multiple games on a single machine.

The report does not offer any specific recommendations but notes (rather blandly) that “[t]he solution lies in combining various policy options.”

Report: Closing Holland Casino would lead to significant increase in illegal gambling

Closing Holland Casino would lead to a significant increase in illegal gambling, a report commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and Security finds.

The Ministry of Justice and Security commissioned the report due to Holland Casino's current financial vulnerability, as well as a further gambling tax rate increase from 2026 onward.

The report finds that Holland Casino fulfills a role in the Dutch gambling landscape that cannot be fully replaced by other licensed land-based or online alternatives. As a result, closing either all or some of Holland Casino's venues will lead to a significant increase in illegal gambling, the study's authors find.