Elena Kowalska
Holland Casino is back in Groningen. The company held a ground-breaking ceremony on Friday for its new site in the largest city in the Northern Netherlands.
Construction has officially started on a replacement venue at Businesspark Ter Borch. The old Groningen casino burned down in 2017 and has not been rebuilt since.
Employees, building partners and local officials gathered on Friday to mark the start of work. Chief executive Petra de Ruiter called it a milestone that followed years of planning.
“Today, together, we are taking an important step towards the future of Holland Casino Groningen,” she said.
“Here, we are not only building a new building, but also a place where guests feel welcome and where our employees can work with pride.”
Marcel Thijsen, mayor of Tynaarlo, said the project matters for the wider region and should help Businesspark Ter Borch grow. The plot sits next to the A7 motorway, which puts it within easy reach of visitors from Groningen, Drenthe and beyond.
Holland Casino says the building will prioritise sustainability, accessibility and hospitality, with a design shaped around what today's guests want. The company declined to share the construction timeline, opening date, capacity or budget.
Richard van den Broek, who works for the operator, came to the ceremony. He said he was “relieved that it is finally starting and can’t wait to walk in here”.
Big in Germany
Holland Casino runs the Netherlands' regulated casino market on behalf of the state. It has had no permanent Groningen location since the fire, and picked Businesspark Ter Borch as its preferred new home in 2023.
The site lies roughly 40 minutes by car from the German border. De Ruiter told iGB in September that German customers are one of the main groups for Holland Casino's land-based business.
“German visitors are really interested because we have a different offer from most of the German casinos.
“If you look at our land-based casinos, it’s table games, slots, in some cases bingo and, on some evenings, poker. But there are also restaurants, entertainment. It’s an afternoon or evening out. And as I understand from our German guests, it’s a more entertaining evening or afternoon than in some German casinos.”
Online growth hand-in-hand
Even as it starts work on the new physical site, Holland Casino has locked in a five-year extension of its online gambling licence. That keeps its online portfolio in the regulated Dutch market until at least 2031.
De Ruiter stressed that the company “will continue to commit to a safe and responsible online offering, where player protection always comes first”.
“At the same time, it remains essential that the regulated market is attractive enough to keep players away from unregulated providers, where supervision and protection are lacking,” she concluded.
Source: igamingbusiness.com
