For many years the real winner in the Netherlands when it came to gambling was the state. In a good year the casinos under the National Foundation for the Exploitation of Casino Games (Holland Casino) generate around € 270 million to the Dutch treasury. However, for some time now Holland Casino and its fourteen state casinos have been running with a loss, which last year ended on € 22 million – a new all time low. The official reason for this is a decline in customers, but I suppose it could also be that the customers do not lose enough (or win too much), or that having a monopoly there’s no real motivation to generate a sellable product. I wonder if a lucrative business gone sour has anything to do with the Dutch governments decision to liberalize gambling in 2015 and to sell Holland Casino in 2017?