Holland Casinos has shut all of its facilities until January 2021 after the Netherlands’ government tightened its coronavirus restrictions.
The Dutch state-owned casino operator Holland Casinos has shut all of its facilities after the Netherlands’ government tightened its coronavirus lockdown restrictions over the holiday period.
This comes after the Dutch government ordered a lockdown in November in order to slow the spread of the virus.
The Netherlands’ new lockdown
Earlier this week, the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that non-essential businesses and shops would be required to close for five weeks after November’s lockdown failed to reduce coronavirus cases across the country.
Holland Casinos were required to close their 14 venues during the initial lockdown in November and this closure will now be extended until 19 January 2021.
This marks the third time that Holland Casinos have been forced to close its venues in 2020.
When the coronavirus pandemic hit the world in March, Holland Casinos were required to close their doors from mid-March. This lockdown was originally set to last until September but negotiations with the government allowed for the reopening of the venue to be brought forward to 1 July.
Then in September, casinos were subject to a midnight curfew as cases began to rise again. This resulted in the second lockdown that came into effect in November.
The impact on Holland Casinos
The state-owned casino operator has been dramatically hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
Holland Casinos’ H1 turnover for 2020 fell 58.7% to €146.3m while also making a net loss of €28.3m, representing a massive impact on the €32.5m profit recorded the year prior.
In addition to this, there are still no legal online gambling options in the country as the planned launch of online gambling has been hit by several delays.
