Exclusive interview with Henk Wolff

With more than a decade of experience in the iGaming industry, Henk Wolff has gained extensive knowledge. He has successfully supported online casinos in their go-to-market strategy with a focus on retention marketing and has been active in the B2B sector, both as an affiliate and platform owner. Today, Henk works in several countries as an online casino consultant, focusing mainly on marketing strategies and retention improvements in the iGaming industry

Henk also interacts with authorities on responsible gambling, marketing legislation and countering illegal casinos in regulated markets. This has led to his participation in international panels and giving master classes at major casino trade shows, including ICE.

Why such a passion for the iGaming sector anyway?

As early as his teenage years, Henk developed an interest in the iGaming industry. He watched with interest ‘American Casino’, a television programme about the day-to-day work of casino managers in Las Vegas. After a period in the gaming industry, during which he performed marketing activities for professional gamers and held a managerial role, Henk switched to the iGaming sector, which he was already interested in as a teenager.

The Belgian market

1. How do you see the current trends in the Belgian market for online casinos and sports betting?

In Belgium, you can clearly see that for too long there has been a monopoly on gaming for the B+ licensees. There were a few game providers that have long tried to keep all revenues to themselves. Since a few years, however, new providers have joined the B+ market, such as major players Pragmatic Play, Evolution and TaDa Gaming. We pioneered this at the time, when I worked at a Belgian casino. We were talking to new game providers back then and managed to convince them to adapt their games visually for the market.

You can now clearly see this shift in consumer behaviour. These are top global games, and they are now mostly played in Belgian B+ casinos. However, you see more and more room for grey-market operators. Stricter legislation has left legitimate online casinos with few marketing opportunities, making it easier for unlicensed casinos to enter the market. Consequently, this is happening full force.

Surely the most complex legal and tax systems can be found in Belgium.

2. What factors do you think have the biggest influence on the growth and development of this sector in Belgium?

The market seems to be saturated, but newcomers still have a decent chance of capturing a share of the B+ market. There are too many casinos in Belgium with no real brand or identity, making it easy for players to switch to casinos that do have a clear identity. A+ licences are scarce and unfeasible for many operators because no new licences are issued. This means that only nine online casinos can offer global gaming, while B+ licence holders are hugely restricted.

Developments in Belgium are likely to focus further on gaming offerings. It is waiting for a gaming provider to find a way to offer truly crash games to the B+ licensees. Furthermore, I also expect innovations from operators in the three licence classes.

3. How does the Belgian market compare to other European countries? Are there major differences in regulation, popularity or innovation?

The dice games are unique to Belgium. You won’t find this type of game anywhere else. It was developed for Belgian consumers and is completely new to players from other countries. Dice games are very popular in Belgium, but remain a niche in other countries.

The biggest difference in regulations can be found in the different licence types (A+, B+, F+). This creates a spirited competition battle, and it is up to everyone to decide how fair that battle is. The strict regulations also mean that Belgian consumers are more likely to encounter unlicensed offers. This embarrasses the Belgian Gaming Commission and the government, but I do not expect any change. This is unfortunate for the victims.

In terms of innovation, I find it interesting to follow the Belgian market. They deal with importing games in a unique way and often require adjustments from the game provider. It would be fun to see what a B+ crash game ends up looking like, maybe a flying die (crash game) or something along the lines of a marble race? Who knows.

Also when you talk about sportsbetting: in terms of popularity, cycling is much more popular in Belgium than in northern or eastern Europe. Still, I think there is a big market to be gained in the esports market. It will grow even faster in the coming years than it is now. The younger generation finds it very accessible, but the ‘boomers’ often don’t understand it. I am curious to see how this will flourish further in Belgium when a serious party with a clear identity comes along that focuses on esports in terms of sports betting.

Laws and regulations

4. Belgium has strict gambling laws and licensing requirements. How do you think these rules affect competition and innovation in the sector?

Innovation is hampered, and competition is unfair in my opinion. The regulations keep operators with B+ licences incredibly small compared to A+ licence holders.

If you want to move up to an A+ licence as an operator, there is no way unless you can convince an existing A+ party to take over their licence. The differences between licences also push consumers towards the grey market. During my time in Belgium, this was already increasing sharply, but the current figures are downright shocking. Unfortunately, the focus is often on limiting regulated operators, so consumers end up bearing the brunt at unregulated casinos where no help is offered if someone exhibits cross-border behaviour.

5. How do you think the regulatory environment in Belgium will evolve? Do you expect stricter measures or rather more flexibility?

It is rare for a government to recognise and acknowledge its own mistakes, let alone dare to rectify them. For example, there was quite a spectacle surrounding affiliate marketing, and to this day online casinos in Belgium are still not sure whether it is allowed or not. It is unfortunate that the Belgian government continues to focus on regulated casinos, preventing normal business operations. Every marketing plan I wrote for Belgian operators had to include a plan B, C and even D, because the government can change literally any rule.

Consumer behaviour

6. What changes do you see in the behaviour of Belgian gamblers? For example, in the preference for sports betting versus online casino games?

In sports betting, football is by far the most popular sport, but as I mentioned, cycling is ranked higher in Belgium than in many other European countries. Cross-selling is very common among Belgian operators: it is low-threshold to make a sports bet, but some operators find it difficult to execute that cross-selling properly.

7. Which demographic groups do you think are growing fastest within the online gambling sector in Belgium?

I think the next generation is going to have a huge impact on the market. They are already used to gambling in video games, but will also be easily influenced by unregulated operators as a result.

Technology and Innovation

8. What role will technology, such as AI and blockchain, play in the future of online gambling in Belgium?

In Belgium, this is going to take some time. If the Belgian Gaming Commission really wants to surprise me, I might see a blockchain solution being introduced one day. As far as AI is concerned, Belgian operators are far behind in terms of possibilities, but to some extent the same applies to international operators.

9. How do you think new trends, such as live betting and esports betting, are influencing the Belgian market?

Esports in Belgium is still in its infancy-already for about 18 years. Many operators underestimate how big the esports betting market can be, or they don’t understand their own target audience well enough, causing ads to miss their target.

Responsible Gaming and Social Impact

10. How effective do you think the Belgian initiatives around responsible gaming and gambling addiction are? What do you think could be improved?

I think Belgium is doing well in terms of consumer self-regulation, but there could (and should) be much more focus on keeping unregulated operators out. More fines should be issued and actually collected.

Furthermore, it would be wise to force more ways to block unregulated operators. Of course, setting up a VPN is a barrier that a consumer has to cross if he or she really wants to play at an unlicensed casino, especially if there will be an internet blockade.

11. What do you think Belgian gambling companies can do to strike a balance between commercial growth and social responsibility?

I would like to see more in terms of sustainability from operators, and more cooperation in public actions. The image of a ‘gambling company’ would benefit from a clear commitment to this. Gambling is entertainment: let’s keep it as such.