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Ten committee members, spanning the full political spectrum, addressed a number of research papers, sector activity reports and Justice State Secretary KT van Bruggen’s April 2026-dated letter, assessing the risks of gambling, and acknowledging the KSA’s estimation that channelisation had dropped below 50%.

While there were differing views on much of the content, one area in which Dutch MPs were united was the illegal market.

The majority of parties, including those representing the ChristenUnie, PRO and SGP, all voiced their opinions that increased enforcement against black market operators should be carried out.

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She called the proposed changes “tinkering around the edges”. She questioned whether ClubGRANTS genuinely supports community projects, or functions as an indirect subsidy that lessens scrutiny of gaming revenue.

“ClubGRANTS is what the clubs rely upon to push back against any reform. The fact is they’re not generous, they’re a rort.” A “rort” is an antipodean term denoting a trick, scam or fraudulent practice.

Faehrmann also hit back at the NSW’s latest gaming machine data that highlighted a record loss of $2.38 billion by NSW residents on pokies during Q2 of 2026. 

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“Publicly traded valuations are a reflection of the current interest rate environment,” Chad Beynon, lead gaming analyst for Macquarie, told iGB. “Whether it’s a long-term financial model on a growth company, you’re going to discount that back at a higher rate, or if it’s just a standard four-wall business, the cash flows in a higher interest rate environment are worth less.”

According to data from Yahoo Finance, the resort and casino sector is -41% over the last five years, and the overall gambling sector, which includes major sportsbooks and online operators, is +7%; the benchmark S&P 500 index, by comparison, is +71% during that span.

Two blockbuster developments in the casino space earlier this year seemed to indicate an increasingly bullish bet on the sector, including Fertitta Entertainment’s acquisition of Caesars Entertainment in May. The other is a subsequent takeover offer of MGM Resorts from its largest shareholder, Barry Diller’s People Inc. But a negative shift in market conditions could affect both deals.