• Belgium Gambling Laws
• Belgium Gambling Laws Legal
• Belgium Gambling Laws Loot Boxes
• Is Gambling Legal In Belgium

Belgium – a federal state situated is in the Western Europe. Gambling business in the country has always been a part of the culture since the XIII century and hasn’t been regulated for more than. Under current Belgian gambling law, land-based casinos are permitted with the required licence. Brussels and Spa have the better casinos, but you will find slots and table games at most. Slots: There is a strict limit of 15 automatic gaming terminals for each opened table, for at least five hours. Casinos have a monopoly on video slot machines.

Before opening an online project, every operator primarily asks the question: what market to choose? Where can I operate freely, and where do I need to go through the licensing procedure?

Slotegrator examined this question. Our experts prepared a list of countries where online gambling operation is legal.

To make it even more convenient, we sorted them by continents. It includes not only those countries subject to certain requirements and where online gambling is regulated by law. There are also those countries where online gambling is neither regulated nor prohibited.

Online gambling availability in the World 2021

Depending on different approaches to gambling regulation in the world, all countries are divided into 4 groups.

Countries where foreign online casinos are not blocked:

The local regulators do not apply any legislative requirements in these countries. Foreign gambling sites can be licensed in any jurisdiction or generally operate without it.

However, it should be noted that gambling is not necessarily legal in these countries.

For example, the Cayman Islands completely prohibit gambling, while the local residents are liable for participation in gambling. The fact that foreign online casinos are not blocked now can only be explained by the inability of regulator to do this. And if the online gambling is not legalized, blocking of foreign sites is just a matter of time.

Countries where gambling websites must be licensed by the local regulator:

These countries use the most competent approach to online gambling regulation. Each operator (whether it is local or foreign) must acquire a license and fulfill certain legal requirements. Conditions are equal for all. Everyone is obliged to pay taxes to the budget. Only in this case, the operator has the right to work legally. Otherwise, the online resource will be blocked.

Belgium Gambling Laws

The following countries require a license of the local regulator only for the local gaming sites. Foreign platforms can work without it:

As in the first group, these countries do not apply any legal requirements to foreign sites. A foreign operator may be licensed in any jurisdiction and, in some countries operate without it at all. However, all local casino owners are required to undergo the licensing procedure of the local regulator and to pay taxes to the local treasury.

Slotegrator offers licenses for legal operation in different markets. We help to obtain gambling licenses from Curacao, Malta, Isle of Man, Kahnawake, Belize, Gibraltar, and Alderney.

The following countries have no restrictions for the gambling sites at all:

This is the largest group of countries. Many of them do not regulate gambling activities at all.

Online gambling laws around the world

Today almost every country has its own rules regulating the land-based gambling. However, the situation with online gambling is more ambiguous. As can be seen, the attitude towards local and foreign operators differs fundamentally from country to country.

In the European Union, for example, the operators of the foreign gambling sites are subject to the requirements of the EU law. However, not all countries agree that foreign operators don’t pay taxes to the local treasury. Contrary to the requirements of the EU, they put the foreign operators under own regulations forcing them to obtain a local gaming license and pay taxes to the local budget. Among these countries France, Germany, Italy, etc.

The second reason for the different attitudes to local and foreign operators is that many countries (especially those not technologically advanced) simply do not have the resources or tools to prevent foreign companies from operating in their territories.

Summing up the availability of online gambling around the world:

• 32 countries prohibit the local operators from working without a license, but those gambling sites that operate from abroad can easily offer their services to local residents. Among them, the following countries: Seychelles, Armenia, Dominican Republic, Greece, Monaco, Norway, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, etc.
• 32 countries allow online gambling only with the local license. For example, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, the UK, the Netherlands etc.
• 28 countries prohibit locals from gambling and block sites of local gambling operators. However, foreign platforms can work freely, even if they have no license. These states are either unwilling or are not able to prevent them. For example, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Mexico, Japan, Singapore, Nigeria, etc.
• 93 countries do not prohibit online casinos and do not license them. They include Bolivia, Uruguay, Venezuela, Bahamas, Argentina, Egypt, Kenya, Tunisia, Kosovo, Gibraltar, etc.

Slotegrator offers everything gambling operators need to launch and expand online casino and sportsbook projects. The company offers a wide range of products, including White Label online casino and sportsbook platform development, game content, betting data feeds and payment systems integration. Slotegrator also provides legal consultancy and administrative assistance for gambling license acquisition and regulatory compliance.

Belgium passes online gambling law

On Thursday 3 December, in landmark proceedings, the Belgian Parliament voted in favour of adopting an online gambling law, which will enter into force early 2010.

The new legislation specifies that licences will be issued to gambling operators already established in Belgium and who either already operate a casino (category A), gaming and amusement machines outside casinos (category B) or bookmakers (category C). The Belgian lottery in all its associated forms will also be made available online.

Belgium Gambling Laws Legal

The draft law was originally notified to the European Commission and the other Member States on 27 March 2009. The restrictions on licences prompted a Detailed Opinion from the European Commission, which claimed that some aspects were not compatible with the single market obligations. The Belgian government therefore made some minor amendments but chose to retain the part which stipulates that online gaming licences will only be complementary to already existing land-based licences within Belgium.

It is widely believed that further to the recent ECJ ruling on the ‘Bwin-Santa Casa’ case in early September 2009, the Belgian government decided to overlook the recommendations of the Commission. The ECJ ruled in favour of the Portuguese monopoly of Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa, therefore upholding the validity of the state’s online gambling monopoly, citing ‘it may be justified by over-riding reasons relating to the public interest’.

Belgium Gambling Laws Loot Boxes

Once the law comes into effect in Belgium in early 2010, it is certain that it will face legal challenges from online gambling operators and possible infringement proceedings from the European Commission.

Is Gambling Legal In Belgium

This may indeed set a precedent for other Member States in the EU who are considering the option of regulating their online gambling markets or who are revisiting their existing online gambling regimes.