Holland Casino has formally begun construction of a new casino at Businesspark Ter Borch, alongside the A7 motorway in the municipality of Tynaarlo, marking the state-owned operator’s return to the Groningen region after its previous venue there was destroyed by fire in 2017.
The ground-breaking ceremony took place on Friday and was attended by Holland Casino employees, construction partners and representatives of the municipality of Tynaarlo. The official ground-breaking was performed by chief executive Petra de Ruiter, Tynaarlo mayor Marcel Thijsen and long-serving Holland Casino employee Richard van den Broek.
“Today, together, we are taking an important step towards the future of Holland Casino Groningen,” de Ruiter 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.” She added that “after years of preparation, it is special to see that the plans are now actually becoming a reality”.
Holland Casino has operated without a permanent Groningen venue since the 2017 blaze, and only settled on Businesspark Ter Borch as its preferred relocation site in 2023. “I am relieved that it is finally starting and can’t wait to walk in here,” Van den Broek said.
According to the operator, the new venue is being designed with an emphasis on sustainability, accessibility, hospitality and modern gaming facilities, reflecting contemporary guest preferences. Holland Casino has not disclosed the project’s construction schedule, expected opening date, capacity or cost.
The site’s position beside the A7 is expected to make the casino accessible to visitors from Groningen, Drenthe and surrounding areas, with the location around a 40-minute drive from the German border. Thijsen said the development was significant for the region and could support the growth of Businesspark Ter Borch and the wider regional economy.
That proximity to Germany is relevant to Holland Casino’s land-based strategy. Speaking to iGaming Business in September, de Ruiter identified German visitors as one of the key demographics for the operator’s venues, saying German guests are “really interested because we have a different offer from most of the German casinos”. She described the Dutch venues’ mix of table games, slots, bingo, poker evenings, restaurants and entertainment as “a more entertaining evening or afternoon than in some German casinos”.
Holland Casino is the state-owned operator of the Netherlands’ regulated casino market. Alongside its land-based estate, it has secured a five-year extension to its online gambling licence, keeping its online portfolio available in the regulated Dutch market until at least 2031. De Ruiter said the company “will continue to commit to a safe and responsible online offering, where player protection always comes first”, adding that “it remains essential that the regulated market is attractive enough to keep players away from unregulated providers, where supervision and protection are lacking”.
According to G3 Newswire, higher gambling tax drove Holland Casino to a loss of €6.1m in the first half. The operator positions the Groningen development as a long-term investment in its regional operations that will strengthen its presence in the northern Netherlands.
This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed under the GamblingZine editorial verification process.
Sources
- Holland Casino begins construction of new Groningen venue after 2017 fire — Authoritative secondary source (published 2026-11-02)
- Holland Casino begins construction of new Groningen casino — Derivative coverage (published 2026-11-03)
Reporting verified against the sources above; retrieval timestamps are preserved in the editorial record.