Tombola set to leave the Dutch market on 1 October

Flutter Entertainment-owned Tombola will leave the Netherlands on 1 October after three years in the Western European market.

A statement on the operator’s Dutch-facing website confirmed Tombola’s exit and thanked players for playing on the site.

The exit has been triggered by the upcoming regulatory changes in the market, with the operator stating that the work to remain compliant will be disproportionate to the contribution of the Dutch-facing arm.

Tombola Netherlands is the smallest contributor within the overall Tombola business, which forms part of Flutter’s UK and Ireland division.

The regulatory changes include a proposed GGR tax increase to 37.8 per cent from 30 per cent, recently proposed by the country’s new right-wing coalition government.

Players can play games on the Tombola site until 11 a.m. local time on 30 September and deposits will be accepted until 27 September.

If players still have money in their accounts on 30 September, the money will be automatically returned to the IBAN account number associated with the Tombola account.

Players can log into their accounts from 1 October to 27 October to change their withdrawal account details.

The site’s statement directs players to other legal bingo operators in the market, including WinnItt Bingo, bet365, and Kindred Group’s Unibet brand.

A spokesperson for Tombola said: “Tombola can confirm that it is to cease operations in the Netherlands effective from 1st October 2024.

“Despite making significant marketing investment over the last three years of activity, we have been unable to achieve a level of meaningful market share, which is a core objective of Flutter’s brand strategy in all markets in which it operates.”

Flutter bought Tombola in November 2021 for £402 million as the industry giant looked to expand its product portfolio and boost its player count.

Shares in Flutter Entertainment plc. (NYSE:FLUT) closed 1.30 per cent higher at $224.34 per share in New York Monday.

This morning, Playtech announced an agreement to sell its Italian consumer-facing business, Snaitech, to Flutter Entertainment for €2.3 billion.