Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte stated all non-essential businesses will be closed for at least five weeks throughout the holiday season. Holland Casino has 14 branches in total and all of them will be closed until 19 January 2021. Reportedly, the casinos had safety measures in place to help protect the employees and guests, but with the overall increasing cases in the country, the venue operations are temporarily suspended.
This is the third time Holland Casino has been closed during the pandemic. The first shutdown was mid-March, with a tentative re-opening date set for 6 April, which was pushed back to 1 July. Back then, the casino staff reportedly received special training and various safety protocols were in place. The second time the casinos had to close was in November, with the lockdown lasting two weeks.
The effect of the pandemic shutdowns can be seen in the casino performance. For the first six months of 2020, Holland Casino reported a net loss of €28.3m ($34.6m), against €32.5m net profit the previous year. The turnover was €146.3m, an almost 59% drop compared to 2019.
