Netherlands, five years on: Andy Duschek on the market Greentube helped shape

When Greentube launched its games in the Netherlands in October 2021, the Kansspel op Afstand act had just opened the market to licensed operators for the first time, and suppliers entered a territory with no established playbook. Five years later, the picture looks very different. Deposit limits, affordability checks, advertising restrictions and stricter responsible gambling requirements have reshaped what compliance means for suppliers and operators alike, while player preferences have proven more resistant to change than many expected, with classic slot content still commanding the bulk of attention in the market's top titles.

Andy Duschek, Regional Manager at Greentube, has been closely involved in that journey from day one, building operator partnerships and watching the market shift from early land-based brand loyalty toward a more balanced operator landscape. Here, he looks back at what's changed, what Greentube has learned about Dutch player habits along the way, and where the market can go next.

It's been five years since Greentube entered the regulated Dutch market. Looking back, what stands out about that time and has the market lived up to your early expectations?

The Dutch market has been both rewarding and more demanding than we anticipated. We were ready for the market opening, and we had localised content in place that we were confident would work. It has paid off. We are proud of the reputation we built for classic content there. The regulatory changes since then have added complexity, and at the same time we have been pushing to grow beyond that classic reputation. Our video slot content still has scope to earn wider adoption in the Netherlands, and we're working hard to develop that.

How would you describe the evolution of the Dutch market since regulation, in terms of both player behaviour and the competitive landscape?

In the early days, players gravitated toward the names they already knew, mostly the established land-based brands. As more operators entered the market, we saw a shift toward smaller operators as players explored their options. Over the last year and a half, that has settled into a better balance. There is still a top five, but the overall spread across operators is healthier than it was.

The same pattern shows up in game preference. If you look at the top 25 games in the Netherlands today, 18 are still classics. Random Runner 15 and Simply Wild remain our two strongest performers, with Random Runner Flashback also doing well. Classics tend to hold their audience indefinitely once they land; players who grew up with them in bars and cafes keep coming back. Video slots need a genuine hit to work, and even then the attention span is shorter, often just a few weeks to a few months. That's part of why Greentube built a reputation as a classics provider, and why we're now working to get our video slot titles the same recognition.

Greentube has built its Dutch presence through partnerships with key operators. What's driven that strategy, and has it changed over the past five years?

The core approach hasn't changed much. We work with most operators in the market, aside from a handful more focused on sports betting. What has changed is the depth of those relationships. The operators getting the best results are the ones running both our classic and video slot content together, and with our biggest partners, those relationships have deepened over time.

That has shown up in exclusive content too, particularly around classic mechanics. We recently launched Simply Jack's with Jack's Casino, and a Random Runner 15 version for Holland Casino is on the way. Building operator-specific content is a growing part of how we work with our key partners.

Localisation is central to engaging Dutch players. What have you learned about what they actually want from a slot?

Demand for genuinely classic slots remains high. These are simple games on the surface, online versions of old analogue fruit machines, and it's easy to underestimate them. We have modernised the visuals over time and moved away from replicating the exact look of the original land-based machines, and those updated versions are performing well too.

What is clear is that Dutch players know slots. It is a well-informed audience in a highly competitive market, with somewhere around 50 different suppliers active. That means working closely with our operator partners to understand exactly what their players want and building toward that, rather than assuming a title that works elsewhere will translate directly.

Regulation continues to shape how suppliers and operators work in the Netherlands. How has the regulatory environment developed since 2021, and what does compliance demand now that it didn't five years ago?

The regulatory environment has matured considerably since the Remote Gambling Act took effect. It started as a framework focused on getting operators licensed and putting basic player protection in place. It has since developed into a much more detailed regime, with recent changes covering deposit limits, affordability checks, advertising restrictions and stricter responsible gambling requirements.

That has added complexity for suppliers and operators alike. Many operators invested heavily to become licensed when the market opened, and tighter regulation since then has made things harder for them too. As we have seen in other regulated markets, a shift toward stricter rules can push some players back toward unregulated channels. That is a real challenge the market is contending with.

Looking ahead, what's next for Greentube in the Netherlands? What opportunities or challenges are you focused on?

The next phase, in the Netherlands and across our other markets, is about deepening existing partnerships rather than chasing new growth. We are using data more directly to guide that. We have developed an in-house tool which allows us to use this data much more strategically for our games and promotions.  It means we are building on performance insight rather than guesswork, and operators are seeing a strong return on investment during promotional periods as a result, with players responding well too.

Localisation will keep evolving in the same direction, toward content built specifically for Dutch players rather than existing titles adapted for the market. Regulation will also keep shifting, and I expect that to remain a challenge. Growth in the Netherlands has slowed, and the market is consolidating rather than expanding rapidly, but it is still a market we are committed to, and one where we believe our content is well suited to keep performing.