Amsterdam, Jan 27: The Netherlands will increase application and amendment fees for online gambling licences from April 1, as part of a move to reflect higher costs faced by the country’s gambling regulator.
The decision was taken by Arno Rutte, the State Secretary for Justice and Security, who approved an update to fees based on indexed 2021 rates, according to a notice published in the Government Gazette.
Under the revised structure, the cost of applying for a new remote gambling licence will rise to 61,300 euros from 48,000 euros, while the fee to amend an existing licence will increase to 10,200 euros from 8,000 euros.
The government said the changes are intended to cover the operational expenses of the Dutch gambling authority, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), whose costs are largely driven by staffing. Personnel expenses account for 83.5% of the regulator’s spending, with material and other costs making up the remaining 16.5%.
“Due to wage and price increases and the associated indexation, the fees associated with processing such applications are being adjusted,” the Gazette said, adding that the revised fees would continue to cover the costs of handling licence applications.
The higher charges will also apply to licence renewals, as the initial five-year permits granted when the regulated online gambling market opened in 2021 are set to expire at the end of this year.
Other permit categories will also see higher fees. Applications for large incidental games of chance with prize pools exceeding 500,000 euros will rise to 30,600 euros from 24,000 euros, while non-incidental gambling permits will increase to 35,800 euros from 28,000 euros.
The fee increases come amid a broader rise in the tax burden on the gambling sector. The gross gaming revenue tax rate has already increased from 30.5% to 34.2% and is scheduled to climb further to 37.8% on Jan. 1, 2026, following a series of tax hikes over the past two years.
Separately, the KSA has outlined its supervisory agenda for 2026, identifying five priority areas: tackling illegal gambling operators, protecting vulnerable players, monitoring operators’ duty of care, enforcing advertising rules, and ensuring compliance with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing laws (Wwft).
