If you’re placing esports bets through Bet365 anywhere in Europe, a Dutch regulatory filing you’d normally scroll past just became relevant. The Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch Gambling Authority, confirmed on Thursday that eight online gambling licences have been reissued as part of its five-year renewal cycle, covering operations from 1 October 2026 through 30 September 2031, according to iGaming Business.
The bridge here is simple: Hillside (New Media Malta) Plc, the entity behind Bet365, is one of the operators that just cleared this renewal gauntlet. For a site full of readers who wager on CS2, League of Legends and Dota 2 through mainstream sportsbooks, whether that book keeps a licence in one of Europe’s strictest gambling markets is not background noise, it’s the difference between a functioning betting slip and a dead link on 1 October.
Why This Is the First Real Stress Test
The Netherlands only opened its regulated online gambling market in 2021, and the original licences issued that year expire at the end of September 2026. Every holder was required to reapply for the 2026-2031 period, and this batch of eight marks the first renewal decisions the KSA has ever handed down.
Not everyone who started the race is still running it. LiveScore and Tombola, both part of the original ten licensees, exited the Dutch market back in 2024, which is worth remembering the next time a regulated market looks bulletproof, the same way operators are watching how Bally’s expansion into regulated Rhode Island betting plays out on the other side of the Atlantic.
The Eight Names That Made the Cut
The recipients were all previously active operators, so no fresh brands have been approved to enter the Dutch market so far. The list blends domestic and international names:
- TOTO Online BV: operates TOTO and Winnitt
- Holland Casino NV: operates Holland Casino Online
- Play North Limited: operates Kansino
- FPO Nederland BV: operates FairPlay Casino
- Bingoal Nederland BV: operates Bingoal
- Hillside (New Media Malta) Plc: operates Bet365
- NSUS Malta Limited: operates GG Poker
- Betent BV: operates Betcity
Compliance Homework, Not a Rubber Stamp
The KSA ran a noticeably tighter process than in 2021. Under policy rules set out in September 2025, any operator with compliance enforcement in its history had to explain what it learned from those mistakes and how it would prevent a repeat, or risk denial or added restrictions. Every applicant, regardless of history, also had to submit an exit plan detailing how it would wind down operations responsibly if a licence were denied, revoked, or surrendered mid-term.
Some of the eight received what the KSA called additional points for attention, meaning they cleared the legal bar but still have compliance work to keep doing. TOTO Online BV is a case in point, having been reported in June for breaching the ban on role models in advertising, years after a 2022 fine for ads seemingly aimed at younger audiences. It’s the kind of scrutiny that stands in sharp contrast to jurisdictions still arguing over basic definitions, as seen when France ruled esports betting illegal around the Esports World Cup. The Netherlands, whatever its friction with operators, at least has a functioning renewal machine.
