Niels Onkenhout has been appointed as Chief Executive of the Dutch national lottery operator – Nederlandse Loterij, recently formed by the merger between lottery enterprises De Lotto and De Nederlandse Staatsloterij. Mr. Onkenhout has joined the country’s lottery operator on September 1.
Following a transition period, the Nederlandse Loterij’s new CEO will replace current Chief Executive Frans van Steenis as the latter had announced his retirement earlier this year.
The newly formed lottery operator commented that it believes it has appointed the right person for the CEO role as Mr. Onkenhout has considerable experience in the country’s leisure and retail sectors. He is joining Nederlandse Loterij from Dutch supermarket chain C1000. Being the brand’s head for years, the executive had also gathered substantial experience in overseeing merger processes.
As CEO of the national lottery operator, Mr. Onkenhout will have to make sure that the De Lotto and De Nederlandse Staatsloterij’s assets will be merged successfully, their online lottery business will be delivered in a proper manner, and lottery customers around the country will be informed about the new enterprise’s offering.
The two former lottery operators received the green light to proceed with their merger last October. The move was welcomed by the Dutch government and was seen as one that would provide local lottery customers with safe and reliable offering, both online and across land-based lottery facilities. Following the merger, tax revenue generated throughout a given fiscal year would be used to benefit the country as a whole, sports, and various charity causes.
Established back in 1726, De Nederlandse Staatsloterij has been the country’s oldest and largest lottery organization. De Lotto, on the other hand, was founded in 1961 and has operated a number of lottery brands over the past several decades. Apart from providing a wide variety of lottery options, the organization is also known to be donating millions of Euros every year to various causes. The two operators have formerly said that their merger came in a bid for the newly merged enterprise to establish itself as a leader in the country’s market, particularly after it opens doors for international operators.
