Holland Casino expects heavy losses due to increased gambling tax

Holland Casino expects to suffer heavy losses in the coming years if the government implements its planned increase in gambling tax next year. The state-owned casino will be forced to launch aggressive campaigns to recruit more gamblers in order to stay in the black, director Petra de Ruiter warned with the cassino’s half-year figures on Thursday.

In the first half of this year, Holland Casino suffered a loss of 3.5 million euros, compared to a profit of over 17 million euros in the same period last year. The casino is struggling with higher personnel costs. The 1 percent increase in gambling tax implemented at the start of this year also cost the casino an extra 3.7 million euros, the figures show.

The new Cabinet intends to increase the gambling tax more, from 30.5 percent to 37.8 percent. That would be disastrous, according to De Ruiter. “Black figures are impossible with that; we will then make a significant loss,” she said.

Holland Casino cannot absorb these tax increases, so it will have to take undesirable measures to still be able to make a profit, De Ruiter warned. “Such as aggressive campaigns to recruit new guests or encouraging guests to spend much more,” she said. That goes against the government policy to reduce gambling addiction and money problems due to gambling. The casino could also significantly lower the prize money.

“These measures are unacceptable to Holland Casino and irresponsible from the perspective of government policy on gambling,” De Ruiter said. “Furthermore, the planned investments in our prevention policy are also coming under pressure.”