Ducth Gambling Tax and Holland Casino
Ducth Gambling Tax and Holland Casino
Minister of Finance: continuity of Holland Casino may be under pressure due to increase in gambling tax The Minister of Finance, Eelco Heinen, has answered questions posed by factions in the written consultation on State Participations. In one of his answers, Heinen states that he is in discussions with Holland Casino about the impact of the increase in the gambling tax.
The increase in the gambling tax may put pressure on the continuity of Holland Casino. The answers of the Minister of Finance and the State Secretary for Finance – Taxation and Tax Authorities to questions from various factions asked in the written consultation on State Participations were published on Friday. This concerns questions relating to the National Government Participation Policy Memorandum 2022, appointments, corporate social responsibility and the financial position of the state participations and questions per state participation.
Some of these questions were aimed at the state-owned companies Dutch Lottery and Holland Casino, where possible privatization has been under consideration for some time. However, members of the NSC faction are not convinced by all the arguments for privatization. They therefore wondered what it means for the payment of the Dutch Lottery to the sports sector if this is no longer legally required. Eelco Heinen, Minister of Finance, stated that the interests of beneficiaries will be taken into account in the decision-making process.
Heinen also indicates that he will inform the House in the summer of 2025 about developments surrounding privatization at both state holdings. He is currently investigating further next steps for the Dutch Lottery following the exploration of three feasible options.
In the same answer, Heinen says that he is in discussions with Holland Casino about the impact of the proposed increase in the gambling tax. He also states that this increase may put pressure on the continuity of the company.
Eelco Heinen, Minister of Finance
Earlier this year, Holland Casino’s CFO, Ruud Bergervoet, also announced that if the company continues to experience difficulties, it will have to apply for state aid. There is currently no request for state aid. Heinen says that as a shareholder, the government considers it important that state-owned companies investigate all options to absorb the increase, including reorganizing and saving costs. The same also applies to the Dutch Lottery:
“Holland Casino and the Dutch Lottery are currently investigating how they can absorb the announced increase in gambling tax. To absorb the increase in the gambling tax, they are considering revenue-increasing and cost-saving measures. As a shareholder, I think it is important that they investigate all options to absorb the increase in gambling tax. At the same time, their social role in this remains a precondition.”
Eelco Heinen, Minister of Finance
NSC faction members also wondered why absenteeism at Holland Casino is relatively high. According to Heinen, this was 7.7% in 2023. According to the state-owned company, this is mainly due to the workload on employees, because the desired staffing was not yet at full strength. Since Holland Casino managed to attract more people, absenteeism has dropped significantly.