Netherlands Casinos
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The Netherlands is a unique north-western European country. Amongst its many attractions are the canal side mansions and cafés present everywhere, the Dom Tower monument from the 14th century, mudflat walking, the Rijksmuseum, the artistic capital city of Amsterdam, the Anne Frank House dedicated to famous Anne Frank, the modern construction port city of Rotterdam, the education town of Utrecht, the medieval and food-loving city of Maastricht, tulip fields, the many resorts suitable for summer, routes for cycling, and the Van Gogh Museum. With its large-scale gambling market, the Netherlands is one of Europe’s “Las Vegas“.
History of Casinos in the Netherlands
Gambling games have a rich history. As early as the 14th century, the administration received an application to issue the very first gambling license to an organization that is unknown today. The firm reportedly put forth a plan to set up a gambling house but later did not succeed. However, the first casino in the nation – Holland Casino Zandvoort – was constructed in the early 1970s and opened on October 1, 1976, at the boulevard in Zandvoort. They celebrated with an elegant event.
The establishment was opened by Holland Casino, the state exclusive operator in the Netherlands (known locally as De Nationale Stichting tot Exploitatie van Casinospelen – the National Foundation for the Exploitation of Casino Games – and officially as Holland Casino N.V.) which was licensed indefinitely on December 17, 1975. Profits generated from the casinos are forwarded directly to the Dutch Treasury, so the government imposed restrictions on the operation of casinos to Holland Casino for a very prolonged period. Many thought this policy flawed.
Before the 2010s, there were strictly 14 gaming venues throughout the expanse and width of the Netherlands – and they were owned alongside operated by Holland Casino. Others were just gaming arcades with a collection of slot machines. However, things have evolved and the nation now has one of the longest lists of casinos in the entire Europe – as most gaming arcades have expanded and now meet the criteria as casinos. Some updates occurred quietly.
Meanwhile, the Kansspelautoriteit (or KSA) – inaugurated on April 1, 2012 – is the autonomous administrative Dutch Gaming Authority under the Dutch Government which licenses betting facilities, regulates games of chance, oversees gambling operators, and combats illegal gambling and gambling addiction. The KSA was a substitute to the first gambling authority in the nation which was called the College van Toezicht op de Kansspelen (literally, College of Games of Chance Supervision) and was founded in 1996. The KSA is financed by contributions from gambling operators within the country. The funding brings significant resources.
Furthermore, all gambling operations and establishments within the country are lawfully subjected to Wet op de Kansspelen or WOK (the Betting and Gaming Act) which became effective on 1964. According to the Act, any betting operator must halve its income and utilize one portion for philanthropic deeds. Nevertheless, each municipality in the Netherlands has an independent authority on the supervision and operation of gambling within the municipality. Wet op de Economische Delicten or WED (the Economic Offences Act) is utilized to ensure legitimate gambling in the Netherlands. Violating the WOK implies committing an economic offense, and either the KSA or Public Prosecutor will impose the related punishment(s). Ambiguity could cause challenges.
In the year 1992, the Stichting Exploitatie Nederlandse Staatsloterij or SENS (Foundation for the Exploitation of Dutch State Lottery) was created to operate the State Lottery and other lottery games. Yet, lotteries have existed in the region since 1726, when the Dutch Generality Lottery (Generaliteitsloterij) was established to procure funds for the country’s treasury. (The lottery was among the first lotteries in the entire world.) It revolutionized national finance.
The lottery was rebranded as the Dutch State Lottery (Staatslotterij) in 1848. In addition to the SENS, Stichting de Nationale Sporttotalisator or De Lotto also provided lottery games until 2016, when they both united to form the Nederlandse Loterij. The merger was significant.
While Holland Casino was the prime casino operator in the Netherlands, Scientific Games Racing B.V. operated pari-mutuel and fixed-odds betting on horseracing and De Lotto facilitated other sports betting. Prior to online gambling being approved in 2016, only these three firms could deliver gambling services online. De Lotto has Toto.dl (an online sportsbook) and Holland Casino operated an online casino that functioned from 2006 to 2007. Online expansion was inevitable.
Nevertheless, there were numerous gambling websites in the Netherlands at that time. They were operating illegally and the administration, in 2013, instructed all banks to cease processing such transactions. To everyone's astonishment, the majority of the banks declined. Indeed, Dutch individuals spent approximately €800 million on illegal online gambling at that period. Discussions ensued among officials.
In May 2013, the then-Undersecretary Fredrik “Fred” Teeven suggested that the KSA be authorized to issue online gaming licenses. The proposed legislation was awaiting an endorsement on January 1, 2015, but the Dutch Parliament and the sector, in totality, criticized it – and thus was disapproved. By 2014, gaming expert Gaming Legal Group had already predicted the rejection. Predictions came true over time.
The proposition was once more presented by a general
While the original legislation proposed a tax rate of 29 percent for land-based operators and 20 percent for online operators, the amended legislation cemented a tax rate of 29 percent for both land-based and online operators. Notwithstanding, the legislation will be fully effective in 2018.
Today, all gambling activities and facilities are subjected to the Betting and Gaming Tax Act, the Betting and Gaming Act, the Amendment to the Betting and Gaming Act, and a number of other acts.
Current Gambling Climate
Yes, casinos are legal in the Netherlands. There is an extensive list of casinos – roughly 214 – but the 14 casinos operated by Holland Casino are the biggest, most equipped, and standardly modern casinos. Other 200 are greatly operated by Fair Play Casino (previously Fair Play Centre), Flamingo Casino, Flash Casino, Funtastic Casino, Hommerson Casino’s, Jack’s Casino, Krijco Casino, Lucky Jack, Toy Toy, Super Game, Play Land, Magic City, and Merkur Casino.
Casinos offer a wide range of gaming machines and table games and have luxe attractions and well-trained employees. As a country, tourists from around the world tour the Netherlands for its many attractions. With an addition of the Dutch gambling scene, the Netherlands is a remarkable destination for gamblers of all levels.
Casinos in the Netherlands by Area
The 214 casinos in the Netherlands are spread throughout over 70 distinct areas in the Netherlands. While most areas have a single casino, Deventer, Alkmaar, Almere, Bergen op Zoom, Amsterdam, Den Helder, Dordrecht, Apeldoorn, Beverwijk, Breda, Den Bosch, Haarlem, Harderwijk, Heerlen, Hoofddorp, Den Haag, Eindhoven, Geleen, Groningen, Ijmuiden, Kerkrade, Zandvoort, Zaandam, Vlissingen, Nijmegen, Maastricht, Roermond, Roosendaal, Rotterdam, Sittard, Tegelen, Uden, Utrecht, Valkenburg, and Venray each have more than one casino.
Nevertheless, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Den Haag are the cities with the most number of casinos. With more than 10 casinos and hundreds of table games and gaming machines, Amsterdam is the Netherlands’ largest gambling destination. Holland Casino Rotterdam is the country’s largest casino, with more than 650 gaming machines, eight poker tables, and over 140 table games.
Types of Casinos in the Netherlands
In addition to 214 casinos, there are many gaming arcades, bingo halls, poker clubs, lottery outlets, sportsbooks, and racetracks throughout the Netherlands. For one, there are four horse racetracks in the country used for both pari-mutuel and fixed-odds betting: Trot Center PSV Forward Alkmaar, Royal Horse Racing Renvereniging Groningen, Duindigt Racetrack, and Victoria Park Wolvega.
In regards to casinos, they are luxe but do not include hotels. In fact, the majority of casinos in the Netherlands have nothing more than gaming machines and table games. Nonetheless, some have many amenities like restaurants, bars, and nightclubs. Fortunately, they are greatly situated near four or five-star hotels that welcome international visitors.
Dutch casinos mostly offer American Roulette, French Roulette, Money Wheel, Caribbean Stud Poker, Blackjack, Sic Bo, Slot Machines, Live Bingo, Bingo, Classic Bingo, Punto Banco Macau, Ultimate Texas Hold’em Poker, Deal Or No Deal, Royal Derby, Casino Barbut, Multi-Roulette, Casino 21, Punto Banco, Midi Punto Banco, Pot Limit Omaha, Video Poker, Electronic Roulette, Multi Blackjack, Multi Caribbean Stud Poker, 3 Card Poker, Money Wheel, 4 Card Poker, Texas Hold’em Poker, Baccarat, Tree of Wealth, Electronic Bingo, Wheel of Fortune, Multi Poker, Squeeze, Straight Punto Banco, and poker tournaments.
Particularly, bingo and poker are popular throughout the nation. Both (especially the latter) are extensively available in the majority of Dutch casinos. Further, sports betting is more than a gambling activity in this part of Europe – it is similar to a tradition.
Saying football (soccer) is the nation’s favorite sport is not an overstatement. In fact, the Netherlands is one of the largest European territories for football events and bets. Other popular sports are field hockey, golf, tennis, and cycling.
On the other hand, lotteries are quite popular in the Netherlands with a number of operators. For one, the Nederlandse Loterij offers a wide range of lottery games which include the State Lottery, Eurojackpot, Lucky Day, Lotto, scratch cards, Miljoenenspel, Toto, and Toto Extra.
Lastly, online gambling is popular in the country despite the fact that there are no licensees as of February 2018. Most gambling activities on the Internet are carried out on offshore gambling websites – which have recently become legal.
List of Casinos in the Netherlands
Below is a list of all casinos currently operating in the regions of the Netherlands.
- Amusino Groningen – Groningen
- Amusino Groningen – Zwolle
- Black Pearls (Jackpot Casino)
- Casino Admiral Hoofddorp
- Casino Be-One Rotterdam
- Casino Number One
- Circus Zandvoort
- Copacobana
- De Pier Casino
- Diamond Palace Rotterdam
- DooWorld (DooLounge Casino)
- Fair Play Casino – Almere Haven
- Fair Play Casino – Amsterdam
- Fair Play Casino – Asten
- Fair Play Casino – Atlantic
- Fair Play Casino – Atlantis
- Fair Play Casino – Bergen op Zoom
- Fair Play Casino – Brunssum
- Fair Play Casino – Castricum
- Fair Play Casino – Cheops Palace
- Fair Play Casino – Colosseum
- Fair Play Casino – Dordrecht
- Fair Play Casino – Eindhoven Kerkstraat
- Fair Play Casino – Eindhoven Nieuwstraat
- Fair Play Casino – Emmeloord
- Fair Play Casino – Forum Romanum
- Fair Play Casino – Geldrop
- Fair Play Casino – Geleen
- Fair Play Casino – Groningen
- Fair Play Casino – Gronsveld
- Fair Play Casino – Harderwijk
- Fair Play Casino – Heerlen Bautscherweg
- Fair Play Casino – Heerlen Klompstraat
- Fair Play Casino – IJmuiden
- Fair Play Casino – Ijmuiden
- Fair Play Casino – Kerkrade Hoofdstraat
- Fair Play Casino – Kerkrade Stadion
- Fair Play Casino – Lelystad
- Fair Play Casino – Maarssen
- Fair Play Casino – Maastricht Gubbelstraat
- Fair Play Casino – Maastricht Stationsstraat
- Fair Play Casino – Meppel
- Fair Play Casino – Pantheon
- Fair Play Casino – Parkstad Limburg Station
- Fair Play Casino – Place de Triomphe
- Fair Play Casino – Poseidon Palace
- Fair Play Casino – Prinsenhof
- Fair Play Casino – Roermond
- Fair Play Casino – Roosendaal
- Fair Play Casino – Rotterdam
- Fair Play Casino – Rozenburg
- Fair Play Casino – Scheidam I
- Fair Play Casino – Schiedam II
- Fair Play Casino – Sittard I
- Fair Play Casino – Sittard II
- Fair Play Casino – Sphinx Palace
- Fair Play Casino – Taj Mahal
- Fair Play Casino – Tegelen
- Fair Play Casino – Ter Apel
- Fair Play Casino – Uden Lieve Vrouweplein
- Fair Play Casino – Uden Markt
- Fair Play Casino – Utrecht
- Fair Play Casino – Valkenburg I
- Fair Play Casino – Valkenburg II
- Fair Play Casino – Venray
- Fair Play Casino – Weert
- Fair Play Casino – Winterswijk
- Flamingo Casino Alkmaar
- Flamingo Casino Bergen
- Flamingo Casino Beverwijk
- Flamingo Casino Den Helder
- Flamingo Casino Egmond aan Zee
- Flamingo Casino Emmen
- Flamingo Casino Haarlem
- Flamingo Casino Heemstede
- Flamingo Casino Hoorn
- Flamingo Casino Horst
- Flamingo Casino Ijmuiden
- Flamingo Casino Noordwijkerhout
- Flamingo Casino Purmerend
- Flamingo Casino Tegelen
- Flamingo Casino Zaandam
- Flash Casino Alkmaar
- Flash Casino Amsterdam
- Flash Casino Apeldoorn Beekpark
- Flash Casino Arnhem
- Flash Casino Cuijk
- Flash Casino Haarlem
- Flash Casino Helmond
- Flash Casino Hilvarenbeek
- Flash Casino Hoogezand
- Flash Casino Joure
- Flash Casino Lemmer
- Flash Casino Nijmegen
- Flash Casino Rhenen
- Flash Casino Rotterdam
- Flash Casino Sassenheim
- Flash Casino Steenwijk
- Flash Casino Veendam
- Flash Casino Veghel
- Flash Casino Velsen
- Funtastic Casino Appelscha
- Funtastic Casino Den Helder
- Funtastic Casino Goes
- Funtastic Casino Hoofddorp
- Funtastic Casino Hulst
- Funtastic Casino Middelburg
- Funtastic Casino Ouddorp
- Funtastic Casino Renesse
- Funtastic Casino Sluis
- Funtastic Casino Vlissingen
- Funtastic Casino Vlissingen 2
- Game Palace Castricum
- Holland Casino Amsterdam
- Holland Casino Breda
- Holland Casino Eindhoven
- Holland Casino Enschede
- Holland Casino Groningen
- Holland Casino Leeuwarden
- Holland Casino Nijmegen
- Holland Casino Rotterdam
- Holland Casino Scheveningen
- Holland Casino Schiphol Airport
- Holland Casino Utrecht
- Holland Casino Valkenburg
- Holland Casino Venlo
- Holland Casino Zandvoort
- Hommerson Casino’s Den Haag
- Hommerson Casino’s Gouda
- Hommerson Casino’s Scheveningen – Boulevard
- Hommerson Casino’s Scheveningen – Palace Promenade
- Hommerson Casino’s Scheveningen – Palacestraat
- Hommerson Casino’s Spuimarkt Den Haag
- Hommerson Casino’s Zaandam
- Hommerson Casino’s Zoetermeer
- Jack’s Casino Alexandrium
- Jack’s Casino Deventer
- Jack’s Casino Dordrecht
- Jack’s Casino Gilze-Rijen
- Jack’s Casino Groningen
- Jack’s Casino Heerenveen
- Jack’s Casino Joure
- Jack’s Casino Oss
- Jack’s Casino Roosendaal
- Jack’s Casino Rotterdam Centrum
- Jack’s Casino Rotterdam Zuid
- Jack’s Casino Sluis / Hotel Dikke van Dale
- Jack’s Casino Sneek
- Jack’s Casino Veendam
- Jack’s Casino Venray
- Jack’s Casino Zeist
- Jacks Casino Assen
- Jacks Casino Nijmegen
- Kasinet Breda
- Kings & Queens (Jackpot Casino)
- Krijco Casino Amersfoort
- Krijco Casino Amsterdam
- Krijco Casino Bussum
- Krijco Casino Den Bosch
- Krijco Casino Deventer
- Krijco Casino Fortuna
- Krijco Casino Harderwijk
- Krijco Casino Hertogenbosch
- Krijco Casino Ijmuiden
- Krijco Casino Noordwijk
- Krijco Casino Roermond
- Krijco Casino Rotterdam
- Krijco Casino Sint Jan
- Krijco Casino Utrecht – Steenweg
- Krijco Casino Zeist
- Lucky Jack – Beverwijk
- Lucky Jack – Heemskerk
- Lucky Jack Amsterdam – Buikslotermeerplein
- Lucky Jack Amsterdam – Reguliersbreestraat
- Lucky Jack Amsterdam – Rozengracht
- Lucky Jack Amsterdam – Utrechtsestraat
- Luckybird (Jackpot Casino)
- Magic City Amsterdam
- Magic City Assen
- Magic City Groningen
- Magic City Hoogezand
- Merkur Casino Almere
- Merkur Casino Amsterdam
- Merkur Casino Hoofddrop
- Merkur Casino Rotterdam (Merkur Casino City Hall)
- Palace (Jackpot Casino)
- Play Land Axel
- Play Land Coevorden
- Play Land Hoogezand
- Play Land Joure
- Play Land Rhenen
- Play Land Sneek
- Players Casino Breda
- Pleasure & Play (Jackpot Casino)
- Queensland Casino (Jackpot Casino)
- Roman Palace Rotterdam
- Strip Casino
- Super Game Beek
- Super Game Geleen
- Super Game Hoensbroek
- Super Game Roermond
- Super Game Vaals
- Super Game Valkenburg
- SuperLaTivo Heerlen
- Swiss Leisure Casino – The Hague (Den Haag)
- Toy Toy Apeldoorn
- Toy Toy Arnhem
- Toy Toy Den Bosch
- Toy Toy Eindhoven
- Toy Toy Hilvarenbeek
- Toy Toy Kaatsheuvel
- Toy Toy Nijmegen
- Toy Toy Tilburg
- Toy Toy Venray
Facts About Casinos in Netherlands
– Just like the majority of countries, Dutch casinos are open to people 18 years or older. Before entering a casino, players must tender a valid passport, driver’s license, or ID card and an entrance fee of €5.
– Nederlands Metrologisch Instituut or NMI (the Dutch Metrological Institute) tests every gaming machine in the Netherlands to assure they comply with the laws and are technically fit.
– The Kansspelautoriteit (or KSA) is entrusted to the Dutch Staatssecretaris (Undersecretary) of the Ministry of Security and Justice. The Ministry was initially called the Department of Justice, then the Ministry of Justice, and eventually joined forces with the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations to become the Ministry of Security and Justice.
– On January 21, 2008, Holland Casino received the International Gaming Award for the casino mostly concerned by social responsibility.
– According to Dutch law, games of chance can be native to the land or transferred from a foreign country. This means both local and foreign games are subjected to the same laws and tax rates.
– There are many firms for regulated gambling operators in the Netherlands with VAN Gambling as a prime example.
– In 2015, Holland Casino had more than one million visitors collaboratively, with each spending €100 on average. In 2016, Holland Casino reported a gross revenue of €608.3 million (€253 million from table games, €305.5 million from slot machines, and other revenues), 1.1 million visitors, 5.9 million visits, an average of €107 expense per visit, 6,185 slot machines, and 420 table games. Currently, Holland Casino offers more than 6,500 gaming machines and over 450 table games throughout the Netherlands.
– According to Dutch law, the minimum payout rate of any casino is 80 percent.
– To fight gambling addiction, Holland Casino follows three steps: registration of customers in a national database, supervision of gambling habits, and intercession if any problem is noticed. All the staffs are extensively trained so they can recognise problem gambling and intervene by referring the affected player to the addiction care department and giving the player a HANDS (Human Assistance Network for Daily Support), AGOG, Riagg, or Jellinek card which he/she will find the agency’s phone number on.
– In 2010, more than 7,000 people were either banned or restricted from entering any of the Holland Casino casinos.
– In 2009, the SENS generated €889.7 million.
– De Nederlandsche Bank has approved and audited the anti-fraud policy of Holland Casino. The policy ensures that money is properly exchanged and re-exchanged to casino chips.
– In 2012, a German placed a €7.5 wager on an outcome of a slot machine in Holland Casino Enschede and won a mouth-watering amount of €1.6 million. Surprisingly, he gave approximately €100,000 to a number of the casino employees. Two years later on March 22, a 30-year-old Dutchman won the highest jackpot ever in the Netherlands: €3 million.
– This is the timeline of the opening of Holland Casino casinos: Zandvoort (October 1, 1976), Valkenburg (May 6, 1977), Scheveningen (October 4, 1979), Rotterdam (November 29, 1985), Amsterdam (December 1, 1986), Breda (October 1, 1987), Groningen (November 4, 1988), Nijmegen (August 10, 1989), Eindhoven (June 13, 1993), Schiphol Airport (April 1, 1995), Utrecht (September 30, 2000), Enschede (June 28, 2002), Venlo (March 8, 2006), and Leeuwarden (December 1, 2006).
– Technically, Holland Casino is still the only gambling operator with an actual casino license.
– Seven authorities control Holland Casino: the Gaming Authority, the Dutch Bank, NMi Certin, Verispect BV, the Advertising Code Committee, the Ministry of Security and Justice, and the Ministry of Finance.
– Reportedly, 96 percent of the whole Dutch population have access to the Internet and about 700,000 Dutch people regularly gamble online. As the 17th largest European online gambling industry, nine percent of the Netherlands’ total €2.3 billion net worth comes from online gambling.
– Gaming Legal Group frequently criticises the effectiveness and purpose of the WOK.
– According to the KSA, there are four permits in the Netherlands: one-time license, multi-year permit, exploitation permit, and slot machines model permit.
– According to the WOK, these games of chance are limited to state monopolies: the State Lottery, Lotto, sports betting, instant lottery, and Tote.
– There are five charity lotteries in the Netherlands: the Sponsor Bingo Lottery, De VriendenLoterij, BankGiro Loterij, De Nationale Postcode Loterij, and the Novamedia Loterij (collaboratively operated by five charity bodies).
– There are more than 249 gambling websites accepting players from the Netherlands.
– In 2005, foreign gambling websites such as Ladbrokes were banned by a Dutch Supreme Court ruling.
– In 2007, Compagnie Financiere Regionale – a French casino company – reached out to the government to receive a casino license in the Netherlands but was declined.
– As expected, the European Union and the European Commission have pressured the Netherlands a number of times to loosen its strict gambling laws, put an end to its state monopoly, and legalize online gambling to the fullest extent.
– In September 2016, three players individually won €1 million, €80,000, and €54,000 (in approximation) while playing on PokerStars’ Casino.eu. Respectively, they are from Lithuania, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
– In 2014, the KSA partnered with the Malta Gaming Authority for a better online gambling market.
– The government’s stance on Bitcoin gambling is still unknown. But since it is legal to gamble online and the use of virtual currency is not a bit specified in Dutch laws, Bitcoin gambling could be available here.