The Dutch Parliament opened a new front of regulatory debate surrounding the online gambling market. A group of four MPs, Mirjam Bikker, Sarah Dobbe, Diederik van Dijk, and Tijs van den Brink, submitted five formal parliamentary questions to the State Secretary for Justice and Security, Claudia van Bruggen, regarding the use of third-party licensing structures to access the regulated market in the Netherlands.
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The 888 and ComeOn Group case, at the center of the debate
The trigger for the discussion was a commercial agreement that allowed the return of the 888 brand to the Dutch market through another operator’s license. Through its alliance with ComeOn Group, Evoke managed to reintroduce its brand using the authorization this company holds to operate under Godwit
Before the Remote Gambling Act (KOA) came into force in 2021, 888 was already operating in the Netherlands without a license. When the new regulatory framework became operational, both 888 and Evoke’s William Hill brand exited the market. That exit was estimated to be a 10% hit on the company’s total online revenue. Three years later, the return materialized through the agreement with ComeOn Group, which Evoke’s corporate development director described as a «low-capital, high-impact value creation route».
What the government is being asked
The State Secretary has three weeks to respond. The questions raised aim to determine whether this type of structure respects the spirit of the current regulatory framework.
Firstly, whether it is acceptable for operators with a history of unlicensed activity to return to the market through agreements with authorized third parties. Secondly, to what extent these prior infringements influence the evaluation of new license applications. And thirdly, what is the role of the KSA regarding these types of structures and what measures the government is willing to take to regulate or limit them.
The sector’s view: a broader problem than an isolated case
Dutch gambling analyst Danny Meijer told NEXT.io that while operators entering the market through third-party structures are formally subject to regulatory controls, the key question is whether those controls adequately reflect the historical conduct and actual operational involvement of the companies involved.
For Meijer, the fact that the questions explicitly mentioned 888, Godwits, and the KSA is not a minor detail. According to the analyst, these issues «seem to focus on a broader problem: how previous unlicensed activity is taken into account in licensing decisions and reliability assessments». Depending on the government’s response, a precedent could be set that modifies the regulator’s role regarding inherited risk.
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The initiating MPs and their history in gambling regulation
Bikker and Dobbe are not new voices in the online gambling debate. Last month, both MPs proposed a legislative change aimed at further tightening the regulatory environment, already considered one of the most demanding in Europe.
That bill emerged after the KSA imposed a record fine of $27.2 million on Novatech for operating illegally in the country. However, the body’s own chairman, Michel Groothuizen, acknowledged that the sanction was limited by a legal cap that prevents exceeding 10% of the operator’s global turnover. Without that limit, the fine would have exceeded $109 million. It is precisely this cap that Bikker and Dobbe seek to eliminate with their proposal.
ComeOn Group and its position in the Dutch market
ComeOn Group was founded in 2010 and obtained its license in the Netherlands in 2022. In March 2026, the operator joined the Dutch trade association VNLOK, whose chairman, Björn Fuchs, celebrated the entry, highlighting the value of adding license holders committed to a safe and responsible market.
Asked about the parliamentary questions, a VNLOK spokesperson told NEXT.io that the association advocates for a legal market with the KSA license as its basis, and that it is up to the regulator to determine whether third-party licensing structures are permitted within the current framework. The organization also stated that it expects its members to fully comply with regulations and operate transparently.
ComeOn Group did not respond to press inquiries by the close of this note. Evoke, for its part, declined to comment for now.
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