Gambling has been legal entertainment in Belgium since 1999. Online gambling was legalized in 2002, and the Belgian Gaming Commission is in charge of licensing bookmakers. Today, there are more than 3,000 betting shops in the country. In general, the field of betting is quite popular in the country, and the number of users of online resources of betting companies is growing every year. In this review, we will consider the features of the gambling business in Belgium and some of the most popular Belgian Bookies.
If we talk about the Belgian legislation regarding gambling, it is worth noting that gambling in this country is considered to be entertainment during which bets are set. These include:
- sports betting
- slot machines
- card and board games.
Sports competitions themselves, as well as card and table games at major events, do not qualify as gambling. Also, entertainment that is organized for charity is not considered gambling.
Any activity in the field of gambling in Belgium must be carried out only with a license issued by the Belgian Gaming Commission.
To ensure control over the activities of gambling sites, the Belgian Gaming Commission was created. The Commission operates based on the Law on Gambling and the Law on the Legalization of Online Gambling. In addition, two royal decrees also operate in the country, according to which each company must provide data on its name, site structure, server, and contacts. In addition, bookmakers are required to provide information about:
- marketing policy of the company;
- its creditworthiness;
- fiscal obligations;
- protection of personal data;
- protection of user transactions
The following types of entertainment are legal in Belgian casinos: table games and automatic games. Table games include poker, blackjack, baccarat, craps, roulette, sic bo, bingo. Automatic games include video poker, slots, betting terminals, and others. Most often, such slots are available in the casino as video poker, digital versions of bingo and keno, video slots, terminals with bets on horse races, and the wheel of fortune.
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Gaming halls can host slot machines (up to 30 slot machines) and digital versions of table games:
- poker;
- Black Jack;
- bones;
- roulette;
- betting terminals.
Some features of sports betting Belgium
Today, many betting companies and casinos operate in Belgium. The most popular Belgium sports betting sites are the following:
- Betsupremacy Casino – this casino offers customers a 100% deposit bonus when depositing 300 USD. The casino site with live betting and casino games is available in two language versions – English and German.
- Omni Slots – This casino also gives customers a 100% deposit bonus on their first deposit of 300 EUR. In addition, each new client can get 50 free spins and free bet bonuses. The site is available in three languages - French, German, and English.
- The next popular Belgium betting casino is BetAdonis Casino. Here, customers can receive a 100% bonus on their first deposit of 115 EUR. The site is available in two languages - English and German.
In addition to sports betting, slots, and table games, other types of entertainment are also very popular in Belgium sportsbooks – for example, lotto, bingo, and fantasy sports. In addition, mobile casinos have recently become especially popular. They are convenient in that players can use them at any time from anywhere in the world.
Slot machines in Belgium
Many users in Belgium often choose modern slots with good bonuses, an interesting plot, and 3D animation as their favorite pastime. The list of the most popular slots includes products from NetEnt, Betsoft, NYX Gaming, Pragmatic Play, and QuickSpin. Among them:
- Viking Age (Betsoft);
- Gonzos Quest (NetEnt);
- Queen of Gold (Pragmatic Play);
- Titan Thunder (QuickSpin);
- The Spin Lab (NYX Gaming).
It should be noted that games with a high-quality visual component, a convenient control panel, and various additional features are especially popular in Belgium. Users of Belgian sites appreciate the intuitive interface as well as the user-friendliness of the site.
Sometimes it happens that new less well-known companies (such as Endorphina) have more success with users than popular companies in the gambling industry, such as Greentube and IGT. This is because the audience of gambling establishments has recently become younger, and besides, a large percentage of players are now women. Unlike men, women are more likely to choose bright and varied gameplay.
Government regulation
We can say that today the gambling industry in Belgium is quite well developed. Companies provide users with gambling services both at land-based betting shops and online. Many companies that operate in Belgium are national. But Belgians also use the services of well-known foreign poker rooms, such as Party Poker and Poker Stars.
The Belgian government supports the integration of the national and global gambling market. At the same time, the state carefully monitors the issue of protecting users from gambling addiction, therefore, it tries to regulate the allowable limits of bets and losses, and also constantly checks little-known companies and blacklists unreliable sites.
Conclusion
Thus, we can conclude that the gambling business in Belgium is strictly regulated at the legislative level, which ensures the reliable protection of users. Land-based and online establishments operate exclusively under state licenses, and new sites are regularly checked by the Gambling Commission. In addition, as mentioned above, suspicious sites are blocked promptly to avoid any fraudulent actions against users.
Today, gambling in Belgium brings in multimillion-dollar profits, but a lot of attention is also paid to consumer safety. Decrees of the King of Belgium regulate the limits of losses and bets to protect gamblers from big losses.
