TOTO Online Secures Five-Year Dutch Licence Renewal Amid Tax and Channelisation Pressures

Licence renewal and regulatory scrutiny

TOTO Online, Nederlandse Loterij's remote gambling brand, has secured a five-year renewal of its Dutch licence from the Kansspelautoriteit. The new term begins on 1 October 2026 and runs through at least 2031, covering online sports betting and casino games. The renewal makes TOTO Online one of the first operators to pass through the relicensing cycle that opened when the Netherlands regulated its online market under the Remote Gambling Act on 1 October 2021, with original licences granted for five years.

KSA chair Michel Groothuizen said in January that the regulator had learned extensively from the market's first five years. The renewal process is expected to put greater weight on compliance history, duty-of-care controls and how operators treat players showing signs of gambling-related harm. Nederlandse Loterij said the extension allows TOTO Online to keep operating while maintaining its focus on identifying risky gambling behaviour and intervening when customers appear to be losing control.

Tax, revenue and channelisation headwinds

The renewal coincides with a difficult period for the regulated Dutch market. KSA figures show licensed online gambling revenue fell by roughly 18.5% year on year in 2025, to an estimated €1.2bn ($1.4bn). Channelisation measured by player numbers remained near 94%, but the expenditure-based measure dropped below 50% in the first half of 2025, with about €617m spent through illegal operators against €600m through licensed sites; one market analysis cited in a review put the black-market share above 53% of online spend.

The gambling tax rate is now 37.8% of GGR, one of Europe's highest, after rising from 34.2% at the start of 2026 and from 30.5% in 2025. Sports sponsorship by gambling operators has been banned since July 2025, completing a phased tightening of advertising restrictions. The sector had opposed the tax increases, citing the risk of pushing players to illegal sites, but political turmoil blocked relief. Nederlandse Loterij has argued that effective enforcement against unlicensed websites must accompany an accessible regulated offering if the market is to keep players.

Financial position and leadership

Nederlandse Loterij appointed Ageeth Bakker as chief financial and risk officer in July, with the former Bovemij Group executive set to join the board on 1 November. The move followed a €8m loss for 2025, which the operator attributed to higher gambling taxes and tighter regulation.

Beyond the licence, TOTO Online offers online lottery and sports betting products drawn from three of Nederlandse Loterij's ten brands, which also include Staatsloterij, Eurojackpot, Lotto, Miljoenenspel, Lucky Day, Scratch Cards and Winnitt. The group directed €200.6m to social causes in 2025 and says most proceeds flow into public initiatives. TOTO currently holds the market lead according to Blask data, while chief executive Arjan Blok has been an outspoken critic of overregulation.