Dutch state-owned gaming operator Holland Casino returned to profit during the first half of 2025 after reducing operating costs by €30.1 million.
Revenue for the half-year period was slightly lower than a year ago at €390.9 million, with growth in retail offset by a decline at Holland Casino Online, which was impacted by the implementation of statutory spend limits since October 2024.
The number of visits to Holland Casino’s eight land-based venues rose by 0.7 per cent to 2,582,498, with guests spending slightly more per visit on average.
As a result of a series of cost-saving measures introduced at the beginning of the year, including a restructuring at the head office in Hoofddorp, the operator reduced operating costs by €30.1 million during H1 2025.
Despite incurring additional costs of €13.5 million related to the gambling tax rate rising from 30.5 per cent to 34.2 per cent at the start of the year, Holland Casino posted a profit before corporate tax of €14.2 million in the first half period, compared to a loss of €3.5 million in H1 2024.
The reporting period included one-off financial windfalls from the sale of the land belonging to the former casino in Groningen (€2.7 million) and the Zandvoort casino (€8.7 million).
“We’ve asked a lot of our employees, but the results are impressive,” said Holland Casino chief financial officer Ruud Bergervoet. “I’m especially proud that our guests continue to visit and appreciate us. But we can’t count our chickens before they hatch. The financial pressure remains high, especially in light of the planned second increase in gaming tax in 2026.
“If the gaming tax rate had already been at 37.8 per cent, we would have closed the first half of the year with a profit of €1.1 million, or a loss of €5.5 million if we didn’t have the one-time revenue from sales. This demonstrates how vulnerable we are, despite all our efforts so far.”
The country’s gambling tax rate will rise to 37.8 per cent in January 2026.