Holland Casino meets with Dutch government over casino closures
The Dutch state-owned land-based operator Holland Casino is disappointed with government plans to keep gambling facilities such as casinos and gaming arcades closed until at least September. The facilities have been temporarily closed since mid-March due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Last week Holland Casino and national gambling industry trade association VAN Kansspelen met with Minister for Legal Protection Sander Dekker from the Dutch government to discuss the decision on the closure of casinos until September. They argue that such a long closure would negatively impact businesses and more than 8,000 people employed in the sector.
The spokesperson of Holland Casino said “Holland Casino and VAN Kansspelen took note with deep disappointment of the measures taken by the government to allow the reopening of casinos and slot machine arcades from 1 September,” and added “The announced reopening date is too late. It creates irresponsibly high risks for players because Holland Casino and Van Kansspelen cannot fulfill their social mission of offering safe and responsible gaming with a focus on preventing and combating crime.”
According to Holland Casino, follow-up discussions on the matter will be held in the near future.
Last month, Holland Casino reported year-on-year revenue and profit growth for 2019 with revenues up by 11.0% and a total of 6.2 million visitors coming to its venues over the year.