Belgium Could Introduce New Gambling Restrictions
Belgium lawmakers recently declared that they will take more measures in order to avoid illegal gaming in the country. Thus, companies who purchase casino software and who want to start online casinos in Belgium should do their best to comply with the aggressive gambling licensing regime. Belgian regulators have not yet actually banned any online casinos, but they have blacklisted several sites which they consider inappropriate.
Spokespeople for the Belgian Gaming Commission (BGC) recently declared that they could take new measures to restrict more operators who do not comply with local law, but also to apply more restrictions on the already-existing online gaming sites. Thus, entrepreneurs who buy casino software should know that the main concern of BGC refers to the lack of player identification software, which could lead to underage gambling.
Lawmakers said that player identification software cannot always work properly, because even though an adult could sign up at an online casino, sometimes there is no way to tell who is using the account afterwards. Regulators also pointed out that they do not consider gambling as a normal economic activity.
BGC representatives expressed their concern about social gaming, saying that these games could attract individuals to start playing for real money, which can be dangerous for minors. Furthermore, the Commission explained that it could even prosecute Belgian players who gamble at online casinos that are not regulated in the Belgian territory.
More than that, entrepreneurs who want to purchase casino software should know that no less than 100 sites were already blacklisted in the country. A few of these sites were online casino industry leaders, which did not comply with the Belgian gambling regulatory framework. Even so, operators who partnered with local land-based casinos and which were approved by BGC still run their businesses in the Belgian gaming market.