Holland Casino CEO Petra de Ruiter has warned that the Dutch gambling sector needs a strong and credible legal market as operators face rising taxes, tighter regulation and growing competition from unlicensed gambling platforms.
Speaking about her four years at the helm of the state-owned casino operator, de Ruiter said public sentiment towards gambling in the Netherlands remains highly critical, while stressing that the industry has a shared interest in keeping consumers within the regulated market.
The comments come as Holland Casino marks its 50th anniversary and navigates a significantly more demanding operating environment than when de Ruiter joined the business.
Taxes are putting pressure on the business
One of Holland Casino’s biggest challenges has been the sharp increase in gambling tax.
The operator now pays 37.8% of gross gaming revenue to the state following the latest increase in 2026. Once labour taxes are included, de Ruiter said the total burden reaches roughly 52% before the company even accounts for its normal operating costs.
Rather than cutting back its customer offering, Holland Casino has focused on restructuring and improving efficiency.
The company has also been investing in new concepts, including further developments of its Next Zone casino format, while introducing double-zero roulette to its offering.
De Ruiter said the challenge is particularly complex because gambling cannot simply be treated like a conventional product where pricing can be adjusted to offset rising costs.
Online market changes Holland Casino’s position
Holland Casino was among the first operators to enter the Netherlands’ regulated online market when it opened in 2021.
Its early position was helped by the strength of the brand and the relatively small number of operators at launch. As the market has expanded, however, Holland Casino has slipped down the rankings as specialist sports betting and online gambling brands have gained ground.
De Ruiter nevertheless described the online business as healthy and said responsible gambling remains central to the company’s identity.
The operator maintains separate databases for its online and land-based customers, in line with Dutch requirements. While the two channels cannot be used for cross-selling, information can be combined for responsible gambling purposes when customers use both services.
Responsible gambling remains a priority
Holland Casino’s state-owned structure also influences how it approaches player protection.
De Ruiter said the company is focused on building a long-term relationship with customers rather than prioritising short-term financial performance.
A dedicated responsible gambling board, involving scientists, people with lived experience and internal specialists, regularly challenges the operator’s policies and procedures.
The approach reflects the difficult balance facing the business: Holland Casino wants to provide an entertaining casino experience while operating in an environment where gambling-related harm is under increasing public and political scrutiny.
Black market becomes a common enemy
For de Ruiter, one of the biggest threats to the Dutch regulated market is the growth of illegal gambling.
She argues that consumers will continue to gamble regardless of how strict the rules become, making the availability of an attractive and safe legal alternative essential.
Holland Casino is a member of VNLOK, the Dutch online gambling trade association representing around 90% of licensed operators. The group is working with regulators and politicians to address the illegal market.
The industry has also joined forces in a legal fight against Meta over illegal gambling advertising appearing across its platforms.
According to de Ruiter, around 70,000 advertisements for illegal operators or gambling offers appear each month, compared with only 2,000 to 3,000 from the legal market.
That imbalance has become a major concern for licensed operators, which argue that strict rules imposed on the regulated sector mean little if offshore brands can continue reaching Dutch consumers through digital platforms.
“A regulated market is always better”
De Ruiter’s message is ultimately that regulation and consumer protection cannot work effectively without a viable legal market.
She believes the Dutch gambling industry is at its strongest when operators, regulators and policymakers work together to prevent players from moving offshore.
For Holland Casino, that means continuing to adapt while absorbing higher costs, stricter requirements and changing consumer behaviour.
And after four years as CEO, de Ruiter remains positive about the challenge — describing the role as demanding, but comparing the experience to playing in the “Champions League” of gambling regulation.
As the Dutch market enters another period of regulatory and tax pressure, the battle may be less about which licensed operator wins the most customers and more about whether the legal sector can keep those customers away from the black market.