Belgium is preparing to carry out an in-depth review of its gambling legislation. Bill 56K0230001, tabled in the House of Commons, aims to modernise a booming sector that is often criticised for its lack of control and social risks. Behind this bill lies a single ambition: to strengthen player protection and provide the Gaming Commission (GC) with resources commensurate with its remit.
A cash-strapped Commission faced with a fast-growing sector
For several years now, the GC has been sounding the alarm: its lack of staff is compromising its ability to effectively supervise a sector that is now dominated by online gambling and sports betting. By 2025, it will have only 32.8 full-time equivalents, compared with the 57 envisaged in the initial plan.
The authors of the proposal therefore want to increase the minimum number of controllers to ten and double the number of police officers seconded to the regulatory authority. This measure is considered necessary, but insufficient according to the GC, which is calling for total autonomy in recruitment.
At present, every recruitment has to go through the FPS Justice, a bottleneck that slows down procedures considerably: it can take up to two and a half years to recruit a data analyst.
Funding needs to be rethought: contributions and frozen funds
Another major issue is funding. The Commission is supposed to be self-financing thanks to the contributions paid by operators. These sums cover its operating costs and are paid into a special fund with an impressive balance of over €50 million.
However, this treasure trove remains largely unused, because the government limits its use to non-recurring expenditure. An absurdity, according to the GC.
The Inspectorate of Finance shares this view and is calling for a structural solution: either increase contributions or release the Fund for priority expenditure.
Cafés and slot machines: the end of gambling on every street corner?
The proposed law aims to reduce the maximum number of automatic games authorised in cafés to two. This measure is supposed to combat addiction, but its relevance is questionable.
Rather than limiting the number of machines, the GC suggests restricting the number of licensed establishments and imposing stricter conditions to ensure that gambling activity remains ancillary.
There are more than 4,000 licensed cafés in Belgium, including 812 in Brussels.
EPIS: soon compulsory in cafés?
Another key reform is the extension of the EPIS (Exclusion des Personnes Interdites de Jeux) system to cafés. This central register prevents people on the register from taking part in games of chance.
It currently applies to casinos, gaming halls and, more recently, press shops. Cafés are an exception. However, according to the GC, these are the places that are most accessible and therefore most at risk.
The Commission supports the measure, but is asking for its entry into force to be postponed until the machines and technical infrastructure have been adapted.
Press shops and betting: towards a contested numerus clausus
The text also proposes to cap the number of betting licences in press shops, a laudable but controversial idea.
For the GC, introducing a numerus clausus would create waiting lists and freeze the market. Instead, it recommends tightening up the conditions for granting licences: only establishments meeting strict criteria of compliance and responsibility would be able to obtain a licence.
A subtle reform, but potentially more effective in guaranteeing a controlled offer.
The payments debate: the end of credit cards for gambling?
Article 9 of the bill aims to ban credit card payments in online gambling. The idea is to prevent players from betting money they don’t have.
However, this measure, which is already partially in place, is deemed difficult to apply and unrealistic. The GC notes that it is impossible to check whether a payment service is linked to a credit card, especially as many accounts already allow overdrafts.
Rather than an outright ban, the Commission is proposing a more targeted alternative: linking the National Bank’s CCP file, which records people who default on payments, to the EPIS system.
This idea, already mooted in 2022, would automatically exclude people with unpaid debts from the game. This measure was deemed extreme by the previous government, which saw it as an attack on individual freedom.
However, the GC sees it as an effective preventive tool, similar to that already applied to people in collective debt settlement.