Key points:
- Holland Casino has reported a revenue dip of 4.1% and a net loss of €1.3m, compared to a net income of €31.9m last year
- Online revenue was down 26.6%, in part due to the introduction of certain deposit limits in the nation
- The operator has stated that further increases to gambling tax will impact its ability to conduct effective safer gambling measures
Holland Casino has reported its financial results for 2024. In total, the operator reported total gross revenue of €784m ($900m), down 4.1% year-on-year. Before corporation tax, net loss came to €1.3m, a significant decline from last year’s net income of €31.9m.
Online revenue came to €85.2m, down 26.6% year-on-year; something attributed to the introduction of deposit limits, which may in turn have led players to begin accessing the unregulated market, which now rivals the regulated market in terms of size according to a report by national regulator KSA. Meanwhile, land-based revenue came to €698.8m, down 0.4%.
Holland Casino paid €222.6m in gambling tax in 2024, with the operator calling on the Dutch Government to reconsider its next gambling tax rise to 37.8% in 2026. The operator stated in its results publication that, with a total tax burden that would increase to over 50% of its revenue, plans for safer and more responsible gambling policies, particularly those outlined by State Secretary Struycken, will not be possible.
Indeed, the operator has already implemented several safer gambling procedures, including the stop of 24/7 games of chance at its Rotterdam and Amsterdam-West locations. It has also integrated new risk detection systems, simplification of its public information and more. While the number of prevention interviews conducted for online and land-based players fell slightly year-on-year, by 548 to 13,788 and 193 to 10,606 respectively, measures and signals in the land-based sector grew by 491 to 9,575. Conversely, online preventative pop-ups and emails were down by almost half, from 308,906 to 153,978.
Good to know: Game Lounge CEO Richard Dennys analyses the impact of the Netherlands’ deposit limits on regulated gaming in the May edition of Trafficology
Despite these figures, the operator has remained positive, noting the increase in annual guests to 5.2 million.
CEO Petra de Ruiter said: "Despite the result and the challenges ahead, 2024 was a good year and I am proud of the organisation. We remain fully committed to safe and responsible gaming and we have made very good progress in this area this year as well.
"I think it is important to emphasise that prevention is and remains human work. Safety and responsible gaming require sufficient investment space."
De Ruiter went on to add: "If we look ahead to 2025, we see that in the first quarter with the measures taken, turnover will remain more or less the same. With the – sometimes painful – cost-saving measures taken, we believe that the stretch is largely over."
