The FPS Economy takes control of Belgian gambling
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22 Oct 2025 •
Reading time: 3 minutes In a context where the gambling economy continues to develop and become increasingly digital, the Belgian federal government has approved a major transfer of powers: the regulation of gambling, currently the responsibility of the FPS Justice, is to be entrusted to the FPS Economy.
Why this transfer now?
Gambling is no longer just a social choice or a repressive challenge. They have become a genuine economic sector, involving operators, online platforms, competition issues and societal risks. Economy Minister David Clarinval and Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden have therefore submitted a draft bill to the Council of Ministers to transfer the GC and jurisdiction over gambling to the FPS Economy.
The parliamentary policy paper stresses that this transfer is part of the government agreement and that an interdepartmental working group (FPS Justice, FPS Economy, GC) has been set up to lead this changeover. The reasoning behind this is clear: in order to provide a better framework for a market that is undergoing rapid change – particularly digital change – the authority responsible must cover the economic, regulatory and consumer protection dimensions.
What legal reform?
To make this change effective, the draft bill provides for the amendment of the law of 7 May 1999 on games of chance, betting, gambling establishments and the protection of players. Specifically, the text replaces all references to ‘FPS Justice’ and ‘Minister of Justice’ with ‘FPS Economy’ and ‘Minister of the Economy’. The Council of Ministers approved this proposal. The preliminary draft was then sent to the Council of State for its opinion.
This legal reform serves to give the GC and the relevant departments a clear foothold in the economic field: regulation of operators, combating unfair competition, protection of players, but also coordination with other departments (finance, consumer affairs, digital). The changes also involve adapting the implementing decrees and building a new intervention framework for the Commission.
Outlook for the Belgian gambling sector
For operators, this reform heralds a new era. Authorised businesses will now have to navigate a modified regulatory landscape: licences will continue to be issued by the GC, but the authority responsible will change from the outset.
For players, the hope is for a more transparent and better protected framework. But it will be necessary to ensure that promises are followed by deeds. The sector has to contend with increasingly sophisticated online practices: loot boxes, targeted offers, automatic machines. The government has already warned that in eight out of ten games inspected, techniques were influencing players.On the horizon, this reform could serve as the basis for a broader modernisation of the 1999 law, in line with digital transformation and the demands of the public. The new economic framework could also pave the way for a better link between gambling, consumption, competition and protection.