Holland Casino starts building a new Groningen venue after the 2017 fire
Holland Casino has begun construction of a replacement Groningen casino at Businesspark Ter Borch, nine years after a fire destroyed the old one. No opening date or cost has been disclosed, and the operator also holds a five-year online licence extension.
Holland Casino does not serve South African players, so this is context rather than a call to act. It shows a country where land-based and online casinos sit under one national licensing system, which is not the position in South Africa. If you play online here you are using an offshore operator, so check licences and read our reviews first.
What happened
Holland Casino has formally started building a new venue at Businesspark Ter Borch in the north of the Netherlands, after its Groningen casino was destroyed by fire in 2017. A ground-breaking ceremony was held on Friday 30 October 2026, according to iGaming Business, which reported it on 2 November.
The detail
Chief executive Petra de Ruiter said the project follows years of preparation, and the mayor of Tynaarlo, Marcel Thijsen, said it matters for the region. Holland Casino chose the site as its preferred relocation in 2023. It sits beside the A7 motorway and roughly a 40-minute drive from the German border, and the company has said German visitors are an important group for its land-based casinos.
The operator says the venue will focus on sustainability, accessibility and hospitality. It has not disclosed a build schedule, opening date, capacity or cost, so we cannot say when it will open.
The online licence
The same report says Holland Casino has received a five-year extension of its online gambling licence, which keeps its online offer in the regulated Dutch market until at least 2031. De Ruiter argued that the regulated market has to stay attractive enough to keep players away from unregulated providers where supervision and protection are lacking.
What it means for South African players
Holland Casino is a Dutch state-owned operator and does not serve South African players, so there is nothing to act on. The story is a useful contrast. The Netherlands licenses both land-based and online casinos under one national regulator, while no South African operator currently holds a licence for online casino games. South Africans who play online use offshore sites, so it is worth checking a casino's licence and our review pages before depositing. Gambling is for adults only and carries real risk.