Could this happen in Belgium? The Netherlands struggles with gambled-away student loans 

The Netherlands is concerned about students financing their online gambling addiction with government loans that cannot easily be suspended. Belgium is currently escaping this problem. 

The Netherlands is once again debating students who use government money to gamble online. This is prompted by a letter from the Minister of Education, Culture, and Science, Rianne Letschert, stating that the Education Executive Agency (DUO) cannot simply stop a student loan when a student uses the money to fuel a gambling addiction. 

In Belgium, this discussion is much less prominent. This is mainly because our country does not have a system comparable to the Dutch DUO loans. 

What is DUO? 

DUO stands for Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs (Education Executive Agency). Among other responsibilities, this Dutch government agency handles student financing. 

Students in higher education can receive not only a basic grant through DUO but also borrow money for their studies and living expenses. Depending on their personal situation, this can amount to hundreds of euros per month. The loan must be repaid after graduation, but students are free to decide how they spend the money. 

It is precisely this freedom that sparks debate. Indeed, the government cannot monitor whether the money is used for rent, groceries, study materials, or online gambling. 

Minister Letschert calls it worrying that some students use their student loans to gamble, but at the same time emphasizes that DUO has no legal authority to stop a loan solely based on how the money is spent. 

Belgium has no comparable system 

In Belgium, there is no general government agency that provides student loans on a large scale like DUO does in the Netherlands. 

Students who need financial support may, depending on their income and family situation, qualify for a student grant (studietoelage) from the Flemish Government or a similar scheme in the French or German-speaking Community. This is not a loan, but a grant that does not have to be paid back. 

Additionally, students can of course take out a commercial loan from a bank, but this happens outside of the government. 

Can Belgium intervene if a student gambles the money away? 

Just as in the Netherlands, the government does not check how a student spends their student grant. There is no legal mechanism by which a student grant can be withdrawn because someone uses the money to gamble. 

A student grant can only be stopped if the legal conditions are no longer met, for instance, if a student is no longer enrolled or no longer meets the academic requirements. 

The Belgian government therefore looks at the right to the grant, not at the final expenditure. 

Lower risk of government debt 

The biggest difference lies in the way students are funded. 

Dutch students can borrow substantial amounts from the government over several years. When that money is used for online gambling, it can lead to high student debts that have nothing to do with their education. 

Belgium has this risk to a much lesser extent because the government primarily works with study grants rather than large-scale student loans. Study grants have limited amounts and are reserved for students from low-income families; there is therefore less risk of this money being squandered on gambling. 

Focus on prevention 

Belgium tries to limit gambling harm primarily through its gambling policy. 

For instance, an almost complete ban on gambling advertising has been in place since 2023, there are strict rules for legal operators, and players can self-exclude via the EPIS register. In addition, the Gambling Commission actively supervises the legal market and is stepping up the fight against illegal gambling websites. 

As a result, the Belgian focus is less on monitoring student funding and much more on preventing vulnerable players from developing problematic gambling behavior in the first place.