Netherlands to impose higher gambling licence fees from April
The Netherlands gambling authority, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has confirmed that it is set to raise the fees charged for gambling licence applications and certain licence changes from 1 April 2026, according to a notice published in the Dutch Government Gazette.
Operators looking to enter the Dutch gambling market, or to make certain changes to their existing permissions, will soon face higher upfront regulatory costs after the Netherlands confirmed an increase in the fees paid to the KSA for processing licence applications. The updated tariff schedule was published in the Government Gazette and is based on an indexation of existing rates, with the government citing wage and price increases as the primary reason for revising the amounts charged.
The changes were set out by the Netherlands’ State Secretary for Justice and Security, Arno Rutte, and will apply across a range of gambling licence categories. According to the official notice, the revised fees are intended to ensure that the costs associated with processing licence applications remain fully covered.
Online gambling licence applications rise to €61,300
Under the new tariff structure, the fee for processing an application for a remote gambling licence will increase to €61,300. This represents a significant jump from the previous fee of €48,000, amounting to a 28 percent increase when the two figures are compared.
For operators, the licence application fee is payable before any revenue is generated in the market, adding to the upfront financial burden of entering the regulated Dutch online gambling sector. The increase also comes at a time when the regulator has signalled that supervisory expectations will intensify in 2026, particularly in areas such as illegal gambling supply, youth exposure, duty of care, advertising compliance, and anti-money laundering controls.
Online casinos that entered the regulated market when it first launched are also approaching an important milestone. Licences granted at the opening of the market are set to expire at the end of this year, meaning those operators will be required to reapply if they wish to continue operating. As a result, they will be subject to the higher application fees from April 2026.
Higher costs for licence amendments
The revised tariff schedule does not apply only to new applicants. Operators seeking to make changes to their existing licences will also face increased costs in certain cases. The fee for requests to amend licence conditions where the change involves widening or replacing what is permitted under the licence will rise to €10,200, up from the current €8,000. This change also represents a 28 percent increase.
By contrast, smaller administrative changes, such as certain updates to licence-holder details, will be charged at a much lower rate, with the tariff set at €100.
Other gambling licence categories are also affected by the updated schedule. Fees for non-incidental gambling will rise from €28,000 to €35,800, while the cost of licences for large incidental games of chance, where the total prize pool exceeds €500,000, will increase from €24,000 to €30,600.
Government points to cost recovery and indexation
In the explanatory note accompanying the published changes, the Dutch government emphasised that the fees paid to the KSA are designed to be cost-covering. The revised tariffs follow an indexation based on wage and price increases, as well as assumptions included in the regulator’s 2026 budget.
The Government Gazette also provided a breakdown of the cost structure underpinning the indexation. According to the notice, 83.5 percent of the KSA’s costs are attributable to personnel expenses, while the remaining 16.5 percent relate to material costs.
“Due to wage and price increases and the associated indexation, the fees associated with processing such applications are being adjusted,” stated the Government Gazette. “The costs associated with processing an application for a gambling license remain covered by the fee adjustment.”
While the government has described the changes as administrative, the revised fees increase the costs associated with entering and operating in the Dutch gambling market.
Fee hikes follow higher gambling tax rates
The increase in licence fees comes against the backdrop of rising taxation in the Dutch gambling market. Over the past two years, the tax rate applied to gambling operators has been increased in stages, reaching 37.8 percent at the start of this year. This compares with a rate of 34.2 percent in the previous year and 30.5 percent the year before that.
For operators, the combination of higher taxes and increased regulatory fees adds to the overall cost base of operating in the Netherlands, particularly for those seeking to enter the market or expand their existing offerings.
Supervisory Agenda 2026 signals tougher oversight
The fee increases come as the KSA publishes its Supervisory Agenda 2026, setting out a more robust regulatory approach for the year ahead and defining five core themes to guide its supervisory, licensing and enforcement work.
These themes include tackling illegal gambling operators, protecting vulnerable groups, supervising the duty of care, overseeing gambling advertising, and ensuring compliance with the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing Act (Wwft).
The regulator has said that rapid changes in the gambling market, including advances in artificial intelligence and the ongoing expansion of illegal gambling offers, are making regulatory oversight more complex.
Beginning this year, the KSA reorganised its internal structure into three directorates covering Player Protection and Board Advisory, Licensing and Supervision, and Digitalisation, Analysis and Operations, and also created a dedicated Player Protection department focused on protecting players, including minors and young adults.
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