On Thursday 3 December, in landmark proceedings, the Belgian Parliament voted in favour of adopting an online gambling law, which will enter into. Belgium Under Belgium’s gaming law, only businesses with land-based gaming operations have the right to extend their offerings online. In 2019, a Belgian Constitutional Court annulled a royal decree which outlines the fees owed by online licence holders to cover administrative expenses at the Belgian Gambling Commission (BGC). Gambling Laws in Belgium. Gambling in Belgium is overseen by the Gaming Act of 7 May 1999. The law was modified in 2010 and extended stricter rules to licensed and unlicensed operators. Eventually, in 2011, these laws came to practise and this is also the year online gaming in Belgium.

• Long history of gambling
• Strict regulations
• High taxes
• Player protection
• Limited number of licences

The history of gambling in Belgium started long ago. Early documents proved that card games were played dating back to the year 1300. A century later, the first national lottery was introduced.

Even though, Belgian regulations have become less compromising, the interest in gaming hasn’t disappeared yet.

In 2002, online gambling was officially permitted by the Belgian officials. In seven years’ time, the Gambling Act was released in 2009. Its main goal is to control all kinds of gambling activities to protect people from addiction and excessive spendings.

Belgium Gambling Laws Legal

Requirements for licensees

Under the Belgian gambling legislation, companies must obtain licences for a land-based casino even if they only want to run an online one.

The Belgian gaming licence is targeted at local residents. Besides, there is a limit on licences, so it is almost impossible to enter this market. Nevertheless, some companies find a way to do it. Breaching the law by running the online casino business without a licence can lead to unpleasant consequences. Companies that run unfair or deceptive business practices are blacklisted and fined up to €100,000.

As for the pricing, a Belgian licence is costly and the business is charged with 11% net profit tax.

Belgium Gambling Laws In America

To sum up, to run gambling business under the Belgian jurisdiction, one must keep in mind rigid laws of this country.