for early access to the latest igaming videos!
and get the latest igaming news first!
Operators looking to enter (or make certain changes within) the Dutch gambling market will soon face higher upfront costs, after the Netherlands moved to increase the fees paid to the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) for processing licence applications.
The updated tariff schedule is set to take effect on 1 April 2026, with the government pointing to wage and price increases as the main reason for revising the amounts charged for handling applications.
Online gambling licence applications jump to €61,300
Under the new tariffs, the fee due for processing an application for a remote gambling licence rises to €61,300. When kept alongside the previous €48,000 level in the tariff table, it shows a 28% uplift.
For would-be licensees, the application fee is paid before a business earns a cent in the market. Also, the regulator body is already planning for more scrutiny in 2026 around illegal supply, youth exposure, duty of care, advertising, and AML controls.
Changes to existing permissions: €10,200 in some cases
The updated schedule doesn’t just target new applicant.
The tariff list also shows €10,200 for certain requests to amend relevant licence conditions, where the change involves widening or replacing what is permitted under the licence, up from €8,000 (again marked as a 28% increase). This updated schedule targets old applicants.
Smaller administrative changes, such as certain updates to licence-holder details, are set at €100.
Why the Dutch government says fees are going up
In the explanatory note attached to the published change, the state says the fees paid to the KSA for handling gambling licence applications are meant to be cost-covering, and that the revised tariffs follow indexation tied to wage and price rises and the KSA’s 2026 budget assumptions.
Separate reporting on the change has also pointed to the KSA’s cost base being largely staff-driven, with personnel costs making up the bulk of the budget split used in the indexation approach.
Either way, the fee hike is another sign the market is getting more expensive to enter, and likely more demanding to operate in.
Source: Tribuna
