On 24 July 2023, GameArt entered the regulated Dutch market with Casino777.nl, its first operator in the country.
The first five titles were Rosh Immortality Cube Megaways™, 20 Hot Fruit Delights, Xtreme Hot, Nefertiti's Nile and Dolphin's Dream.
Casino777.nl is run by the Casino de Spa, part of the Liège-based Ardent Group, which also includes gaming technology specialist Gaming1.
The Kansspelautoriteit licence covers casino games only and runs from 2 February 2022 to 1 February 2027.
GameArt already knew the 777 brand, having entered Switzerland with Casino777.ch in January 2021 with 18 slots.
In September 2023, five extra titles brought the number of GameArt games certified for the Netherlands to 17.
JACKS.NL, the JVH group's online casino, added GameArt games in March 2024.
Online gross gaming revenue in the Netherlands rose from €1.08 billion in 2022 to €1.39 billion in 2023.
In 2025 it levelled off at around €100 million a month, roughly 18% down on 2024.
91% of Dutch players gamble only with licensed operators, but only 53% of the money staked stays with them.
Since 1 October 2024, a new player is limited to €350 in deposits a month, or €150 under the age of 24, unless they have a personal conversation with the operator.
GameArt and Casino777.nl: five slots to break into the Netherlands
On 24 July 2023, GameArt finally set its reels spinning in the Netherlands. That day, the provider announced five slots for Casino777.nl, the Dutch showcase of the Casino de Spa, licensed by the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) since February 2022. It was a first for the studio, later extended by JACKS.NL in March 2024, in a market open to legal online gambling since 1 October 2021.
On paper, the announcement fits in a few lines: five titles, two quotes and a promise of new releases. Read between the lines, though, and it shows how a supplier finds its way into one of Europe's most tightly regulated markets. Above all, it shows which door it chose.
That door carries a name every player recognises at first glance: 777.
Which GameArt slots arrived on Casino777.nl?
Five games, not one more: Rosh Immortality Cube Megaways™, 20 Hot Fruit Delights, Xtreme Hot, Nefertiti's Nile and Dolphin's Dream. That was the opening stake set out in the official GameArt press release, published just after iGB Live, the Amsterdam show its sales team attended every year. It was a cautious start, almost a shy one, for a provider with a far bigger slot portfolio.
Released in 2020, Rosh Immortality Cube Megaways™ opened the Megaways series at this European slot studio. The mechanic was invented by Big Time Gaming. On every spin, the number of symbols on each reel changes, and so does the number of ways to win. Nefertiti's Nile takes you back to ancient Egypt, and Belgian players had known its dice version since 2021. Dolphin's Dream dives below the surface. As for 20 Hot Fruit Delights and Xtreme Hot, they make a red-hot pair, with the first one wearing its fruit right in its name.
César Paredes, Country Manager at Casino777.nl, said he was committed to bringing players the best of iGaming. He was also looking forward to the studio's upcoming releases. Peter Mihelj, introduced as GameArt's CEO in the press release, praised an operator that was “quickly building a name for itself among Dutch iGaming players”. He also highlighted its focus on user experience and its constantly growing games library.
Who is behind Casino777.nl?
Behind the brand stands the Casino de Spa, a house that opened in 1763 in the Belgian Ardennes, in the small town that gave English the word spa. Its tables welcomed Europe's aristocrats long before screens came along. The Focus on Belgium portal even calls it the oldest casino in the world.
Not everyone agrees on that title. Across the Alps, the Venetian casino founded in 1638 claims it with just as much confidence. I will happily stay out of that argument, since GameArt counts both houses among its partners. For a supplier, a seat at the old masters' table is worth more than any business card. These houses have a reputation to protect, and they choose their games accordingly.
The Casino de Spa belongs to the Liège-based Ardent Group, an association of investor families that also includes Gaming1, a gaming technology specialist. Its Belgian offshoot, Casino777.be, covers online casino and sports betting, as a press release published on GlobeNewswire in November 2022 explained. In the Netherlands, Casino777.nl sticks to casino games, under a logo reduced to three red 7s followed by “.nl”.
The Kansspelautoriteit's public register spells it out in black and white. The Casino de Spa licence only covers casino games where the player plays against the operator. It runs from 2 February 2022 to 1 February 2027. So there is no sports betting and no player-versus-player poker for an operator that arrived four months after the market opened.
Casino777.ch: the Swiss dress rehearsal
On 20 January 2021, GameArt was already entering the regulated Swiss market with Casino777.ch, the online brand of the Davos casino. It placed 18 slots there straight away. Trade site European Gaming named Chili Quest, Battle for Atlantis and African Sunset among the titles in that batch. Next to that grand entrance, the 2023 Dutch stake looks almost four times smaller.
The link between the two sites goes beyond a lucky number. It dates back to the launch of Casino777.ch in September 2019. At the time, Gaming1 supplied the platform and Ardent Group owned 44% of the Davos casino, according to iGaming Business. From Davos to Spa, GameArt has therefore done business twice with the same Liège family. I don't think that's a coincidence. In this industry, one successful integration often opens the door to the next.
What does a Kansspelautoriteit licence guarantee players?
For players, the licence starts with an entry check. The operator must consult Cruks, the national self-exclusion register, before letting anyone place a bet. It must then keep an eye on risky behaviour throughout every session.
On 1 October 2024, the Dutch government tightened the rules again. Since then, every new player gets a monthly deposit limit of €350 at most, or €150 for under-24s. Raising it is only possible after a mandatory personal conversation with the operator. Above €700 a month, or €300 for players under 24, the operator must also check that the player can afford those amounts.
Before you sign up on a Dutch site, take a few seconds to search the KSA register for the operator's name, not just the brand. For Casino777.nl, the licence is held by the Casino de Spa. This simple habit stops you from confusing a licensed operator with a site that merely borrows its name.
Has the Dutch online gambling market lived up to its promise?
GameArt arrived while the wave was still high. A ministerial note dated 4 April 2024 on the KSA report put online gross gaming revenue (stakes minus winnings paid out) at €1.08 billion in 2022. It then reached €1.39 billion in 2023, an increase of almost 29% in a single year.
Two years later, the table has shrunk. Online GGR came to €600 million in the first half of 2025 and €602 million in the second. That works out at about €100 million a month, roughly 18% less than in 2024. Active accounts keep climbing, though, according to the KSA monitoring report summary published on 16 April 2026. They averaged 1.38 million a month in the second half of the year, for around 500,000 monthly players by the regulator's estimate.
One figure struck me more. While 91% of Dutch gamblers play only with licensed operators, the share of money staked that stays with them drops to 53%. This two-speed channelisation rate says it all. A small minority of players is enough to move almost half of all stakes away from licensed sites. For a provider like GameArt, that is the Dutch paradox: a clean market that is standing still.
GameArt in the Netherlands: what happened next?
On 14 September 2023, GameArt added five titles to its Dutch portfolio: Wild Marmalade, Aladdin's Quest, Diamond Magic Deluxe, Awesome 7's and Piggy Bjorn 2. That took its collection for this market to 17 certified games.
I'll admit the dates made me smile. In fifteen years of affiliate work, I have learned to read “more games will follow” as a polite formula. It's the kind of line slipped into the end of a press release without much conviction. This one was honoured in less than two months. To me, that kind of detail carries more weight than any executive quote.
In spring 2024, JACKS.NL, the online casino of the JVH group, opened a new Dutch table for the developer. Seen from a little higher up, Casino777.nl is just one piece of a European puzzle. You can put it together by browsing the studio's alliances, from Belgium to Spain by way of Italy and Switzerland.
One deadline remains, and I will be watching it closely: the Casino de Spa licence expires on 1 February 2027. Time will tell whether the three 7s stay lit in a market that has become more demanding than flourishing. In 2023, GameArt was looking for a way in. Now the whole question is how to keep its seat at the table.
FAQ: GameArt and Casino777.nl
When did GameArt arrive on Casino777.nl?
On 24 July 2023. Casino777.nl was the first licensed Dutch online casino to offer GameArt slots.
Which GameArt slots launched on Casino777.nl?
Five titles: Rosh Immortality Cube Megaways™, 20 Hot Fruit Delights, Xtreme Hot, Nefertiti's Nile and Dolphin's Dream.
Who operates Casino777.nl?
The Casino de Spa in Belgium, part of the Liège-based Ardent Group. It holds the Dutch licence, and Casino777 is its online brand.
Is Casino777.nl legal in the Netherlands?
Yes. The Kansspelautoriteit granted the Casino de Spa an online casino licence valid from 2 February 2022 to 1 February 2027.
How many GameArt games are certified for the Netherlands?
GameArt announced 17 on 14 September 2023, after adding five new titles to its Dutch portfolio.
What links Casino777.nl and Casino777.ch?
Both sites carry the 777 brand and are tied to Ardent Group and its Gaming1 platform. GameArt entered Switzerland with Casino777.ch back in January 2021, with 18 slots.
Does GameArt have other partners in the Netherlands?
Yes. JACKS.NL, the online casino of the JVH group, added GameArt games in March 2024.
How big is the Dutch online gambling market?
About €100 million in gross gaming revenue per month in 2025, or €600 million and then €602 million per half-year. According to the KSA, that is roughly 18% down on 2024.
How are players protected in the Netherlands?
Every operator must check the Cruks self-exclusion register. Since 1 October 2024, a new player cannot deposit more than €350 a month, or €150 under the age of 24, without a personal conversation with the operator.
How can I check that a Dutch online casino is legal?
Look up the operator's name in the Kansspelautoriteit's public register. For Casino777.nl, the licence is in the name of the Casino de Spa.
