State-owned Holland Casino, which has a monopoly on the Dutch casino market, wants to invest ‘hundreds of millions of euros’ over the coming 10 years, says company director Dick Flink in an interview with Monday’s Financieele Dagblad.

According to the paper, 2008 was a difficult year for Holland Casino.

Flink said the ban on smoking alone cost the firm EUR 35m in lost income and the recession has meant that visitor numbers and turnover has fallen between 10% and 15% in the last few months.

The investment is needed to make the country’s 14 casinos more attractive for a broader public and safeguard the company’s future, says Flink.