De Unie (The Union) has announced that it has, along with another union, approached The Hague regarding a proposed increase in the gambling tax.
It has been suggested in the Netherlands that the gambling tax will increase to a figure of 37.8%, which The Union has argued would put Holland Casino under pressure.
Holland Casino recently released its financial results for the first half of the year, underlining what has been a tough period for the operator, experiencing a loss of €3.5m ($3.9m), which was compared with a profit of €17.2m in the same period last year.
It was stated at the time that rising costs, as well as an increase in the gambling tax by 1%, were key reasons behind this significant change.
Within the results, Holland Casino CEO Petra de Ruiter expressed concern regarding the gambling tax increase, explaining measures that may have to be taken as a result of it within the casino, such as “significantly reducing the prize money.”
She added: “These measures are unacceptable for Holland Casino and irresponsible from the perspective of government policy on gambling. Moreover, the planned investments in our prevention policy will also come under pressure.”
The unions have reminded politicians why Holland Casino was originally founded, emphasising that it was done so to combat gambling addiction, and that should its position come under pressure, this objective “will no longer be achieved.”
