EPIS: more than 715,000 access attempts refused in 2025
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20 Oct 2026 •
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In Belgium, the EPIS system blocked 715,373 attempts to access gambling services in 2025. In total, 66,998 people were registered on the voluntary exclusion list at the end of the year.
EPIS: more than 715,000 access attempts refused in 2025
During 2025, 715,373 access attempts were blocked because the people concerned were registered in the EPIS system.
The vast majority of these refusals involved gambling offered online. According to the annual report of the Belgian Gaming Commission, 690,074 blocked access attempts were recorded at online gambling establishments.
The remaining refusals accounted for 25,299 access attempts, or around 3.5% of the total. This distribution shows how important checks in the digital environment have become in enforcing the system.
One important clarification is needed to interpret these figures correctly: 715,373 blocked attempts does not mean that 715,373 different players tried to circumvent an exclusion. The report counts access attempts, not unique individuals. The same person may therefore be responsible for several refusals.
For BAGO, the association representing a significant share of licensed Belgian operators, these results show that the system does more than simply record exclusions. It also makes it possible to enforce those bans within the legal gambling market.
Why are voluntary exclusion requests increasing?
Beyond blocked access attempts, another indicator stands out: the number of voluntary exclusion requests processed by the Belgian Gaming Commission.
In 2025, the Commission processed 16,358 requests, compared with 12,509 the previous year. That represents 3,849 additional requests, an increase of around 30.8% in one year. At the end of 2025, 66,998 people were registered as excluded at their own request.
This trend reflects greater use of voluntary exclusion procedures. It comes in a context where the process has gradually been simplified. Since the end of 2021, players have notably been able to submit an exclusion request directly online using an electronic identification system.
The 2025 figures show that this option has now become the dominant method. According to the Commission, 75.98% of voluntary exclusion requests were submitted electronically.
The role of relatives is becoming increasingly important
The 2025 statistics also reveal a change in the way players can be supported when they request exclusion.
Since July 2023, a person submitting a voluntary exclusion request has been able to designate a trusted person. This may be a partner, family member or friend. The designated person is informed of the exclusion request and of any subsequent lifting of that exclusion. They can therefore provide additional support to someone seeking to distance themselves from gambling.
Use of this measure increased sharply. In 2024, 2,093 voluntary exclusion requests included the designation of a trusted person. In 2025, that figure rose to 6,394 requests. This represents 4,301 additional requests and a volume more than three times higher than the previous year.
Illegal gambling: a limitation for protection measures?
BAGO stresses that the safeguards implemented in the licensed sector operate within a regulated and supervised environment. The association therefore considers the fight against illegal gambling to be one of the necessary conditions for an effective player-protection policy. Its reasoning is based on the ability to enforce common obligations on authorised operators.
Within a licensed framework, the establishments concerned are subject to rules on exclusions and their enforcement. By contrast, the EPIS system alone cannot guarantee that an excluded person will never gain access to an illegal gambling offer.
This distinction explains why BAGO supports two complementary priorities: strengthening protection measures within the authorised market and combating illegal operators.
The association also stresses the importance of directing players towards licensed gambling offers.