As part of the reforms promised by the Dutch coalition government, the Netherlands plans to offer its country-owned Holland Casino monopoly to the worldwide market and then legalize online gambling with hopes of increased competition, interest, and, of course, revenue.
While the plan to sell is set, how the government will approach the sale is not. “It is unclear at this stage if it will be a sale or an initial public offering. The government hasn’t decided how the sale will take place,” Justin Franssen, a lawyer at VMW Taxand who specialises in the gaming sector said in a recent Reuters article.
According to Wikipedia, Holland Casino is “the” source of gambling in the Netherlands as it has a legal monopoly on casino games there. With 14 casinos throughout the country, all funds generated by Holland Casino go straight to the Dutch treasury. Lately, however, those profits have been slim, with one million annual visitors generating a slim profit of $4.9 million per year.
Holland Casinos are notoriously lack-luster by Las Vegas standards, and a buy-out could revitalize the brand to take advantage of the 11 million tourists that visit the Netherlands annually. As it stands, Holland Casino announced it will have to cut 10% of its workforce in order to save the 50 million euros it needs to stay afloat.
Several online casino major suppliers have already launched content across the Netherlands, as the Dutch market is now regulated. Endorphina, a well-known casino software developer, announced that it has taken a step toward the Netherlands thanks to its new certificate. As the slot provider makes its debut in the Netherlands, the provider continues to expand into new European jurisdictions.
Microgaming has heralded a "milestone" in its ongoing strategy of regulated market expansion as the online gaming provider will launch content in the recently regulated market in the Netherlands. The first group of Microgaming partners, including casino brand Toto Online Nederlandse Loterij, which was one of the first brands to gain license before the official opening of the Dutch market.
An exclusive deal was reached between Evolution Gaming and Scientific Games to transform the live Lightning Roulette game into a classic game in real-world casinos around the globe. According to the deal, Live Evolution Lightning Roulette will be available for Scientific Games land-based casinos around the world. This will be the first of its games to complement Dual Play Roulette and Baccarat, which are live casino tables that will be streamed onto land.
