Belgium Gaming Commission asks for further restriction in gaming industry

In regards to those market developments, and in particular in regards to the move towards online gambling (of which, according to the Commission’s annual report 2013, the total turnover of all licensed operators amounted to €15 million for casinos, almost €23 million for arcades and a smaller €17 million for betting operators), the BGC is of the opinion that the existing legal framework is insufficient. Furthermore, and as may come as a surprise for an already strictly regulated country, the BGC takes the view that the gaming industry should be further limited, as the exploitation of gambling activities cannot be considered, as the BGC states, “as a normal economic activity“. For those reasons, the BGC addressed an open letter to the incoming Belgian government, in which it criticizes the government’s current gambling policy on several points.

First off, the BGC references the legal principle stating that persons involved in a collective debt procedure are prohibited from participating in games of chance for which one must register. The BGC welcomes this legal provision, but states in its open letter that the measure is undermined by the absence of a decent player identity control. The BGC pleads (and has proposed draft legislation in this sense) for an improved control of online identities on the basis of the national registration's number of players.

Next, the BGC again pinpoints its focus on social gaming. In the BGC’s view, social games entail the risk of directing players to paying alternatives, which is particularly harmful for minors. Similar suspicions are furthermore made towards the video games industry. The BGC calls on the new government to take action in this respect. Draft legislation in relation to social games was already presented by the BGC to the present government, but there seemed to be little appetite from the government to regulate social games. It is an open question whether the new government, under influence of the BGC’s open letter, will be inclined to take further action in this respect.

Finally, the BGC pleads for further restriction and rationalization of the gambling industry. According to the BGC, the Belgian legislation aims at providing the player with a limited legal offering of games of chance.  However, the BGC implies that the Belgian government is more interested in the revenues stemming from gambling activities than effectively limiting this offering. The restriction and rationalization of the offering could, according to the BGC, entail concrete measures such as providing a larger budget and more personnel to the BGC, actively prosecuting Belgians gambling abroad and taking further measures against illegal gambling activities.