Dutch licence renewals begin as five-year terms expire
The first wave of Dutch online gambling licences, issued when the market re-regulated in October 2021, is now hitting its renewal cycle. Holland Casino, Bingoal, and TOTO Online have all secured five-year extensions starting 1 October 2026, following a review by the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA). For plenty of other operators, though, the decision to stick around or pack up is anything but simple.
TOTO, owned by Nederlandse Loterij, currently leads the Dutch market by share. Holland Casino sits in seventh, Bingoal in 25th, according to Blask data. Unibet, the second-largest brand, came in a year after re-regulation and doesn't need to renew until 8 June 2027. Its parent FDJ United saw Q1 revenue fall 19.9% regionally, though the company framed it as a "market improvement" after a 42.1% decline in FY2025. BetCity, third in the rankings and acquired by Entain in 2023, faces a 1 October deadline for its licence. The operator has clashed repeatedly with the KSA over marketing rules, most recently over the use of role models during the World Cup. Whether those breaches affect renewal remains unclear.
bet365, fourth in market share, was approved on 1 October 2021 and is also due for extension. As a private company, it publishes no country-level financials. OneCasino, fifth, has until 5 October 2027. JVH Gaming's two brands sit at six and eight: 711's licence runs until 16 March 2027, while Jacks.nl must renew by 20 November 2026. Kansino, run by Malta-based Play North Limited, expires this October. So does Fair Play, the online arm of Janshen-Hahnraths Group, which ranks tenth. ComeOn, 17th in market share, doesn't expire until September 2027, but it's notable for managing evoke's 888 brand under its Dutch licence. That deal, brokered in 2025, has pushed 888 Casino to 19th and 888 Sport to 27th in Blask's rankings.
The regulatory environment has shifted hard since 2021. The government banned role models in ads in May 2022, untargeted advertising in July 2023, and sports sponsorship in July 2025. Now a full ban on all gambling advertising is planned for 2026. The tax rate climbed to 34.2% in 2025 and again to 37.8% on 1 January 2026. LiveScore Group exited the market in 2024, calling the framework unworkable. VNLOK, the Dutch trade body, estimates the black market accounted for around 25% of gambling activity in 2025. The KSA puts the legal market's share of GGR at about 49%.
With licences expiring and the market squeezed by restrictions and taxation, the question is whether more operators will follow LiveScore out the door. The KSA's website lists all current licences. The coming months will show who stays.