Dutch regulator KSA to open January 2027 tender for horse racing totalisator monopoly licence

The Dutch Gaming Authority (KSA) has announced that applications for the country's statutory totalisator licence will open in January 2027. The licence gives its holder the exclusive right to offer land-based pool betting on horse racing in the Netherlands and will run for five years, from 1 July 2027 to 30 June 2032.

Under Dutch law the totalisator is a monopoly. Only one operator may take pool bets on horse and trotting race results at racetracks and physical betting outlets. Online horse racing betting is not covered by this regime and remains regulated separately under the remote gambling framework created by the 2021 Gambling Act.

The current permit is held by ZEbetting & Gaming Nederland and expires on 30 June 2027. The company belongs to the French Zebet/Zeturf business, which is also active in France, Belgium and Malta. It had its licence renewed in 2022 after KSA's previous awarding procedure. KSA says the new process will be transparent and competitive, and it expects to publish submission details and the application form on its website as early as December 2026.

The application window will open on 4 January 2027 and close on 31 January 2027. Applicants must pay a non-refundable processing fee of €40,900 ($45,567) upfront, which is 27.8% more than the €32,000 charged in the previous round.

The tender has two stages. In the first, KSA will assess applications against statutory and public interest criteria, including corporate structure, operational continuity, internal supervision, integrity and reliability, outsourcing policies and incident response. Applicants must also show measures to prevent excessive gambling, addiction and underage betting, outline strategies against match-fixing, and demonstrate experience in providing offline sports betting services.

If more than one applicant passes the first stage, the second stage is a lottery. The winner will be chosen in an unweighted draw held under notarial supervision, intended to ensure impartiality.

The licence also carries a financial obligation to the equestrian sector. Holders must allocate 10% of their monthly gross gaming revenue from bets on Dutch horse and trotting races to support the sport and its infrastructure.