Politicians react strongly to Holland Casino’s aggressive advertising plans
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23 Aug 2024 •
Reading time: 2 minutes Holland Casino has announced that it is considering launching aggressive gambling campaigns. This after booking a loss of 3.5 million euros in the first half of 2024. The plans met with fierce resistance, especially from the political party ChristenUnie. Mirjam Bikker therefore expresses her disapproval of this.
The loss shows a sharp decline compared to the profit of 17 million euros that the state-owned company achieved in the same period last year. However, the proposed measures are causing a lot of controversy. Especially given the fact that Holland Casino is a state-owned company. And the campaigns would be financed with government money.
Losses and cost increases at Holland Casino
Holland Casino announced that its turnover in the first six months of this year fell by 2.4 percent to 395 million euros. One of the main causes of the loss is the 11 percent increase in personnel costs. This is the result of a new collective labor agreement. In addition, the company is dealing with an increase in gambling tax. This brought an additional cost item of 3.7 million euros. The corona debts have also not yet been fully paid off. Which contributes to the current financial pressure.
Threat of aggressive gambling campaigns
Holland Casino director Petra de Ruiter has indicated that the current financial situation forces her to consider extreme measures. One of those measures is to intensify gambling campaigns. Despite the controversy that this could cause. “We have never spent more than 2 percent of our turnover on advertising,” said a spokesperson for the company. “We are now considering doing more advertising, for example on billboards in cities where we have branches or on television.”
Reactions from critics
These plans have met with strong criticism, including from the Christian Union. Mirjam Bikker, a prominent member of the party, expressed her outrage about the proposal. “What an irresponsible and bad story to expand gambling advertisements. Using tax money to rip off even more people at the slot machine. Rien ne va plus. Stop this. We are going to ask questions,” says Bikker.
In addition, it is expected that the proposed increase in gambling tax by the new cabinet, from 30.5 to 37.8 percent, will make the situation even more difficult for Holland Casino. According to De Ruiter, this could lead to the company’s bankruptcy. The plans to conduct aggressive campaigns are seen as a last resort, but the effectiveness and ethics of such measures are seriously questioned.