SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Arjan Blok has officially started in his new role as CEO of the Dutch Lottery (Nederlandse Loterij).
As the former CFO of the association, Blok was announced as Niels Onkenhout‘s successor in November 2023, and began the new role on Monday this week which he shared on LinkedIn.
Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Dutch Lottery, Alexander Pechthold, described Blok as the ‘ideal candidate’ when he was hired.
Pechthold commented: “Under Arjan’s leadership, the organisation has been characterised by continuous positive financial results after the merger in 2016.”
Pechthold also noted how Blok made an important contribution to accelerating the digital transformation.
Blok has been active in the role of CFO at the Dutch Lottery since 2016. In previous years, Blok held roles at the Ministry of Finance, Cap Gemini, and Essent, to name a few.
Speaking of his new role, Blok said: “We started our adventure at the Dutch Lottery almost at the same time in 2016. Together with all employees, we turned the organisation into the largest and most responsible gambling provider in the Netherlands.
“As of today, after eight years as CFO, I will take over from Niels Onkenhout as CEO of the Dutch Lottery. I am proud of where we are now and look forward to the promising future.”
Onkenhout steps down as CEO after eight years at the organisation, where he took up this position in 2016 to merge the Lotto and the Dutch State Lottery into the Dutch Lottery.
In the past few years, Onkenhout was also at the basis of the Dutch Lottery as an online gaming provider with its TOTO brand.
Onkenhout concluded: “Good luck to my successor Arjan Blok. Many thanks to all employees of the Dutch Lottery who ultimately made everything possible.”
