Amsterdam Conference Lands As Dutch Market Pressure Builds
Dutch gambling industry braces for regulatory storms at Amsterdam conference
Gaming in Holland has filled out its June 4 agenda with regulators, operators, advisers and payments executives, turning the Amsterdam event into a check-in point for a market that looks more strained than it did a year ago. The speaker list includes Ella Seijsener and Floor van Bakkum from the Kansspelautoriteit, Arjan Blok of Nederlandse Loterij, Petra de Ruiter of Holland Casino, Björn Fuchs of VNLOK, Josh Hodgson of H2 Gambling Capital, Frank Tolboom, Robin Bleichrodt, Leo Judkins, Maarten Wessels, Dr. Andreas Ditsche and Richard Dennys.
The timing is the real story. KSA monitoring showed legal online GGR at about €602 million in the second half of 2025, basically flat, while an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 players were gambling only with unlicensed sites. Even more striking, the share of total gambling spend going to licensed operators fell below 50% for the first time.
That makes the conference theme easy to understand. The agenda will focus on illegal market growth, regulation, business pressure, M&A, player protection and politics, with the wider framing tied to Gaming in Europe and its #ReclaimTheMarket message. Gaming in Holland founder Willem van Oort said:
"The Netherlands Gambling Authority will provide an update on the latest regulatory developments. Leading operators are well represented, too. If you want to know what's happening in the Dutch gambling market, there is no better place to be."
Two breakout sessions sharpen the practical side. Chris Adriaansz and Joris Crone will cover relicensing, a timely topic because the first five-year remote licences granted in 2021 expire on September 30, 2026. Jochen Biewer will take on AMLR and AMLA, with added urgency after AMLA held its first public hearing on March 24, 2026 and with the broader EU AML framework set to apply from July 10, 2027.
Tax sits over all of it. Dutch industry groups and major operators have already pushed back against the latest increase, arguing that higher costs and tighter rules are helping drive players away from the licensed market instead of strengthening it.
