New Competition Is Coming to the Dutch Horse Racing Betting Monopoly

The Dutch Gaming Authority (KSA) has announced that applications for the country's next exclusive horse racing betting licence will open in January 2027. The winning company will have the right to offer toto betting on horse and trotting races at physical venues for five years, from 1 July 2027 to 30 June 2032.

The current licence holder, ZEbetting & Gaming Nederland, will lose its authority on 30 June 2027. The company is part of the French Zebet/Zeturf group and also operates in France, Belgium and Malta. The group won the previous tender in 2022 and has held the licence since then. In the new period, however, it may face serious competition.

Application documents will be published on the KSA website in December. Applications will be accepted from 4 to 31 January 2027. The non-refundable application fee has been set at 40,900 euros. This amount is about 28 percent higher than the 32,000 euros collected in the previous tender.

The selection process will proceed in two stages. In the first stage, the corporate structure, governance, integrity, outsourcing, and measures against gambling addiction and underage gambling will be assessed. If more than one application passes this stage, the winner will be chosen by a draw supervised by a notary.

The winning company will be required to allocate 10 percent of the monthly gross gaming revenue from Dutch horse and trotting races to funding sport and infrastructure. Online horse racing betting will remain subject to the remote gambling regime that entered into force in 2021.