Illegal market among main topics at 2025 GiH Conference ...and more!

No majority in sight for proposal to undo legalization of online gambling

A clear majority of political groups in the Dutch Lower House is highly critical of a multi-pronged proposal by MPs Derk Boswijk (CDA) and Diederik van Dijk (SGP) to undo the legalization of online gambling in the country. Making online gambling illegal again would only exacerbate the existing problems by pushing players to black-market alternatives, the proposal's opponents note. 

While other, less far-reaching parts of the proposal (e.g., a full ban on gambling advertising, stricter duty-of-care provisions, etc.) are received less negatively, several political groups note that the government is already considering similar efforts to improve consumer protection, which would make the Boswijk/Van Dijk proposal superfluous. 

Betsson pulls out of Goldrun acquisition

Betsson has terminated its agreement to acquire Holland Gaming Technology, owner of Netherlands licensed Goldrun Casino. 

Betsson originally agreed to acquire Holland Gaming Technology and games studio Holland Power Gaming in February 2024 for €27.5m.

Completion of the acquisition was subject to approval by the Netherlands Gambling Authority. However, as the Dutch regulator did not issue a decision by the agreed long-stop date, Betssonhas decided to unwind the transaction. 

Betsson previously applied for a remote license of its own but withdrew its application in 2023 citing “significant delays” in the approval process. 

Dutch court orders Unibet to provide transaction data to former player

The District Court of Amsterdam has ordered Trannel International, the former owner of the Unibet brand, to provide past transaction data to a player – a necessary preliminary step to launch further legal proceedings against the operator.  

Several Dutch courts have ruled that contracts between online operators and players concluded prior to the legalization of online in the gambling in the Netherlands are to be considered null and void and that, therefore, players are entitled to a refund of their losses.

The Amsterdam Court found that under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), clientshave a general legal right to review their data. As Trannel declined to mount a defense and motivate its initial refusal to provide past transaction data to the player, the court ruled in favor of the claimant. 

Belgian Gaming Commission: despite ban, 18–20-year-olds continue to gamble

Belgium's Gaming Commission has published the results of recent survey conducted by DataSynergy, revealing that 84% of young adults aged 18 to 30 gamble through legal websites, while over a quarter (28%) also access illegal sites.

The survey also found that increasing the minimum gambling age to 21 led to only a modest decrease in overall gambling participation by 18–20-year-olds. Despite the introduction of a ban on under-21 gambling in 2024, 39% of 18–20-year-olds still gambled in 2025 (2023: 51%), the survey found.

Upcoming events

Gaming in Spain Conference

Join us on June 26 in Madrid for the 2025 Gaming in Spain Conference.

The event will feature a keynote speech by Mikel Arana, Director General of Spain's national gambling regulator, DGOJ.

Besides focusing on the Spanish market, the 2025 GiS Conference will also feature several sessions dedicated to the latest developments in the most important LatAm markets. 

We are very happy to announce that Regis Dudena, Secretary of Prizes and Bets, at the Brazilian Ministry of Finance, has agreed to discuss the present state of Brazil's gambling regulatory framework.

Don't miss it! Register today: https://bit.ly/GiSC2025.

Other events

• iGB L!ve returns to ExCel London on July 2-3, 2025. Registration is now open!

• Don't miss this year's Gaming in Germany Conference on November 11, 2025, in Berlin. Save the date!

Illegal market among main topics at 2025 GiH Conference

If you attended last week's Gaming in Holland Conference, we hope you enjoyed the event as much as we did!

Renske Fikkers, Head of Market Supervision at the Netherlands Gambling Authority, said that the regulator wants to get rid of its image of an “unreachable, rigid regulator exclusively focused on infringements and fines.” Instead, the Gambling Authority will be looking to implement a fresh “regulator 2.0” approach and “move towards an open and flexible organization that finds creative solutions to difficult problems.”

Still, Fikkers also pointed out that some licensed operators are still disregarding duty-of-care and advertising regulations, and that such behavior could very well impact the renewal of remote licenses from 2026 onward. 

Arjan Blok, CEO of Nederlandse Loterij, highlighted the dangers of the black market. According to Nederlandse Loterij, the number of players that make use of illegal offerings is being severely underestimated by the Netherlands Gambling Authority, and urgent action to prevent further black-market growth is needed. 

Josh Hodgson, COO of H2 Gambling Capital, estimated that channelization in terms of players is currently closer to 70% than the 91% presently claimed by the Dutch regulator. Moreover, channelization in terms of GGR is expected to stabilize at approximately 45% from 2026 onward, meaning that more than half of all money spent on online gambling in the Netherlands will end up in the pockets of illegal operators. 

Björn Fuchs, newly appointed Chair of trade association VNLOK, and Henry Meijdam, Chair of VAN Kansspelen, both pointed out the negative impact of the current gambling tax rate on the economic viability of the regulated gambling market. The current rate of 34.2% of GGR will further increase to 37.8% from January 1, 2026, onward – a tax rate that will be among the highest in Europe. Already, the government has reduced its estimate (see question 424) of the additional tax that will be collected as a result of the latest gambling tax rate increase. 

On a more positive note, Christian Heins, Director iGaming at Germany's market leader Tipico,presented his company's Trusted Partner Program, an initiative aimed at starving unlicensed operators of quality content. Suppliers certified as Trusted Partners by Tipico will provide their products only to licensed operators. In exchange, Tipico will engage in marketing activities, including TV, digital platforms and CRM campaigns, with partners certified under this program.If widely adopted by licensed operators across multiple markets, black-market operators will have significantly fewer options to provide quality content to their customers. 

Of course, the 2025 GiH Conference also offered plenty of other discussions, networking, our traditional canal tour, and drinks at Holland Casino Amsterdam. Photos of the event are available here.