Dutch Gambling Licences Face First Major Renewal Test as 2026 Deadline Nears

The Netherlands is approaching the first major renewal cycle for online gambling licences issued after the market reopened in October 2021. The first five-year permits will begin expiring on 1 October 2026, and several operators have already cleared the renewal process.

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Holland Casino, Bingoal and Nederlandse Loterij-owned TOTO Online have secured new five-year licences from the Kansspelautoriteit, the Dutch gambling regulator. Their renewed terms start on 1 October.

For others, the deadline is now close enough to matter.

BetCity, bet365, Kansino and Fair Play all face licence expiries on 1 October 2026. Jacks.nl has slightly more time, with its licence running until 20 November.

The timing is significant. Operators are returning to the regulator after a first licensing period shaped by increasingly restrictive rules on gambling promotion and a heavier tax burden than the market faced when it reopened.

The First Renewal Wave

TOTO has already secured its position for another five years. That matters for one of the Netherlands most prominent gambling brands, while several other major operators remain in the renewal queue.

BetCity, ranked third among Dutch brands by Blask, is due to reach the end of its first licence term on 1 October. Bet365, which launched in the Dutch market on the same date in 2021, faces the same deadline.

Unibet is on a different timetable. Its parent company, FDJ United, entered the Dutch market a year later, leaving its licence valid until 8 June 2027. OneCasino has even longer, with its current licence expiring on 5 October 2027.

The different dates reflect how quickly operators entered the newly regulated market rather than a single renewal deadline for the industry.

There are similar differences within JVH Gaming and Entertainment. The company operates 711 and Jacks.nl through separate legal entities. The 711 licence runs until 16 March 2027, while Jacks.nl must deal with renewal this November.

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Play North Limited’s Kansino and Janshen-Hahnraths Group’s Fair Play are both facing the October 2026 deadline.

A Different Market From 2021

The operators applying for renewal are doing so in a market that has become considerably less permissive on advertising.

In May 2022, the Dutch government prohibited gambling operators from using role models in advertising. That removed footballers, celebrities and social media personalities from a marketing strategy that had been widely used across the industry.

A broader restriction followed on 1 July 2023. Untargeted gambling advertising was prohibited across television, radio, print and social media.

The restrictions continued into 2025. From 1 July that year, betting companies were no longer allowed to sponsor sports.

By 2026, the government had moved towards an even broader measure, beginning preparations for a complete ban on betting and gambling advertising.

That leaves the first group of operators seeking five-year renewals in a substantially tighter regulatory environment than the one they entered in 2021. The next few months will show how the wider group of licence holders fares when its own renewal dates arrive.

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Source: igamingexpress.com