The Belgian legal gambling market is shrinking for the first time. Tom De Clercq, Executive Director of Napoleon Sports & Casino, analyses the situation.
You open your inbox and there it is again. A garish email full of promises of free spins and massive bonuses. Whilst legal gambling advertising is being cracked down on more and more strictly, this flood seems to be increasing. Frustration is growing and the impact is significant.
It is a clear slap on the wrist. Jacks.nl is attempting to avoid a €400,000 fine, but has once again been rebuffed. The Council of State confirms that the penalty is justified, whilst the Kansspelautoriteit is simultaneously introducing new guidelines for gambling advertising. The message is clear: the rules are becoming stricter and there is less room for error.
Malta is firmly opposed to a proposed European tax on online gambling. This initiative could upset the balance of a sector that is strategic for several Member States, particularly for the Mediterranean island, which has made it one of the pillars of its economy.
Polymarket is arming itself with Palantir’s AI technology to mercilessly track down match-fixing and suspicious bets. A crucial step to definitively sideline fraudsters and make the gambling market safer.
In September 2023, an attempted robbery at the casino in the small Dutch town of Sluis ended unexpectedly. More than two years later, the case has resurfaced in court, with the prosecution requesting a surprisingly lenient sentence.
A study reported by the BBC highlights a worrying medical phenomenon: certain treatments prescribed for neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s disease may cause serious addictive behaviours, including compulsive gambling.
The UK Gambling Commission is considering authorising crypto payments on legally licensed platforms for the first time. This development is motivated as much by technological innovation as by the fight against the illegal market.
A study conducted by researchers at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KULeuven), published in 2026 in Tijdschrift voor Communicatiewetenschap, documents the frequency and nature of young people’s exposure to gambling advertisements and their attitudes towards these messages.
A recent British study, carried out during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, found that sports betting adverts broadcast on television not only seemed to encourage more people to place bets, but also increased the frequency of live betting.
Faced with the rapid expansion of online gambling, the issue of player protection has become a central public policy concern. In Belgium, BAGO’s operators defend a model based on the duty of care.
Long perceived as a market constrained by strict regulations, the German online gambling ecosystem is currently undergoing a quiet transformation. Behind some of the most demanding rules in Europe, growth is very real.
Just a few years after the legalisation of the digital gambling market, the Dutch model is already being called into question. Between criticism of player protection and calls to ban all advertising, the debate is taking a decisive turn.
In Liège, a team of psychology researchers is launching a participatory survey on gambling practices. The study aims to gather testimonials from gamblers, their loved ones, and healthcare professionals in order to analyze actual gambling habits and develop concrete recommendations for more responsible gambling.
The UK is at a turning point for its online gambling industry. A proposed rise in licence fees, coupled with increased taxation and tighter regulation, raises a worrying question: is the UK’s legal gambling market losing its competitiveness?
