The GC tightens the screws on affiliate sites
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10 Jul 2026 •
Reading time: 4 minutes
The Gaming Commission has now clarified that affiliate advertising for online casinos may only appear on websites primarily dedicated to gambling. Platforms providing sports results, sports data or entertainment are excluded from this interpretation.
Advertisements to be removed within 48 hours
Several Belgian operators of affiliate sites have recently received a request to remove, within 48 hours, any advertising linked to certain gambling operators authorised in Belgium. The notice targets sites aimed at the Belgian public that are not exclusively dedicated to gambling and betting. It requires the removal of all promotional links, banners, embedded tools and other advertising formats associated with the products of the operator in question.
According to information reported by CasinoNieuws.nl, operators could face sanctions from the Gaming Commission if they continue to promote their offers on platforms whose main theme is not gambling.
Until now, some websites dedicated to sports results or competition-related data were still displaying adverts for online casinos. The regulator’s stated position now significantly reduces the number of platforms that can legally host such adverts.
The website’s main activity is the decisive factor
The new interpretation of the rules is based on the main focus of the website displaying the advertisement. According to the Gaming Commission, affiliate marketing remains permitted, but only where the website in question deals primarily with gambling. The mere presence of a section dedicated to betting, casinos or online games is not necessarily sufficient.
A platform whose primary function is to publish scores, league tables or sports results cannot be regarded as a site primarily devoted to gambling. The same applies to services offering sports data or general content related to sport and entertainment.
Someone visiting a website specialising in gambling is likely to be looking for information on casinos, betting or the rules governing the sector. By contrast, a user checking a match score is not necessarily looking for a gambling offer. Advertising could therefore be shown to them without them having previously expressed an interest in gambling. It is this unintended exposure that the Belgian authorities wish to limit.
An exception closely linked to search intent
The regulator’s position is based on the interpretation of Article 10 of the advertising regulations. The GC’s spokesperson, Stefaan Savenberg, points out that the general ban on gambling advertising allows only for exceptions expressly authorised by the authorities.
‘The general ban on advertising provides for no exceptions other than those expressly authorised by the King. Article 10 permits advertising on a search results page following the entry of search terms related to gambling, and where the advertisement can be regarded as a search result because it is placed at the top of the page in return for payment.
‘Links appearing on affiliate pages that meet these conditions are permitted. Sponsored results on search engines such as Google also fall under these exceptions.
‘The difference between these sites and live score sites, sports data platforms, sports results sites or other platforms in the context of sport or entertainment is that they do not meet these conditions. Users visiting these sites are often not looking for games of chance. To prevent vulnerable individuals from being exposed to gambling against their will, it is therefore not permitted to advertise gambling via these platforms.’
The affiliate programme had, however, been maintained until the end of 2023
When the partial ban came into force, the future of the affiliate programme for online casinos appeared uncertain. By the end of 2023, however, the Gaming Commission had clarified its position. Affiliate marketing could continue, provided that Article 10 was complied with and that it took place within a context of active research into gambling. In particular, a website could receive a commission when a user created an account with an operator after following a promotional link.
The clarification introduced in July 2026 does not rule out this possibility. However, it does narrow its scope. Affiliate marketing remains permitted on websites whose main content relates to gambling. It is, however, no longer permitted on platforms where sport, results, statistics or entertainment are the dominant focus.
What are the implications for publishers and operators?
The owners of the websites concerned must now review all their advertising content. Links embedded in articles, promotional banners, interactive modules and other casino-related adverts may need to be removed. The 48-hour deadline mentioned in the emails sent to several publishers shows that operators wish to respond swiftly to the regulator’s requests.
The decision puts an end to a period of uncertainty that had allowed certain platforms to continue displaying online casino offers. The Gaming Commission has now established a clearer distinction: websites specialising in gaming may still benefit from the exemption provided for affiliate marketing, whilst sports and entertainment websites may not.