KSA research shows Dutch players switching to online gaming
Netherlands GGR at €3.4bn for 2022 following a full year of online gaming since the country re-regulated
The Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) has released research that shows there’s been a clear shift in casino gaming from land-based venues to online.
For the first time since the re-regulation of the Dutch market in 2021, the KSA’s Gambling Market Scan compared land-based gambling with the online sector, which was open all year round for the first time in 2022.
The study found that gross gaming revenue (GGR) amounted to €3.4bn in 2022, an increase from €2bn the prior year – largely due to the regulation and increase in online gambling – although the KSA did highlight the closure of land-based venues during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021.
However, the market scan research also showed that online gaming’s GGR is smaller than land-based, 31% compared to 69%, respectively.
In total in 2022, casino games made up the largest part of the market at 56%, while the sports betting sector grew from 4% in 2021 to 10% a year later, 8% of which was online.
Looking at the GGR of casino games, both online and land-based, in 2022 compared to 2019, due to the subsequent Covid-19 closures GGR rose from €1.5bn to €1.9bn.
The KSA attributed this to the regulated market, with the GGR of land-based casino games actually falling by 30% compared to 2019 figures.
When compared to other countries, Dutch players spend on average 14% less on gambling, they also spend more in land-based venues than online.
In 2022, adult Dutch players spent an average of €258 on games of chance, an increase of €100 compared to the year prior. In 2019, that figure was €221.
One reason for the higher figure was the inclusion of players using licensed operators – consumers playing on the black market were not included prior to 1 October 2021.
Netherlands license holders paid a total of €776m in gambling taxes in 2022 compared to €370m in 2021.