Belgium Raises Minimum Gambling Age to 21

Belgium Sets 21 as Minimum Age for All Gambling; Concerns Over Illegal Market Rise

Belgium has implemented a significant change in its gambling regulations, raising the minimum age for gambling to 21 across all sectors. This move, intended to standardize age requirements and enhance player protection, comes amid growing concerns about the impact of gambling on young adults. While the new rules aim to curb addiction, they also bring potential risks, including a surge in illegal gambling activities. As Belgium tightens its regulatory grip, the industry braces for the implications of these sweeping changes.

New Age Restrictions: Standardizing the Rules Across All Gambling Sectors

Effective from August 2024, the updated regulation mandates that all gambling activities in Belgium, including sports betting, arcades, and bingo, adhere to a minimum age of 21. This change aligns these sectors with the country’s land-based casinos, which have enforced the 21-year minimum since 2018. The decision was formalized through a royal decree in February 2024, marking a significant shift from the previous patchwork of regulations that dated back several decades.

The new law represents Belgium’s ongoing efforts to tighten the reins on its gambling industry. In recent years, Belgium has introduced multiple restrictive measures, such as banning bonuses and free bets in 2020, imposing a weekly €200 deposit limit, and curtailing advertising in 2023. This recent adjustment is seen as another step towards creating a safer gambling environment, particularly for younger and more vulnerable individuals.

Koninklijke Besluit (Royal Decree) has overridden several outdated gambling laws, signaling the government’s intent to modernize its regulatory framework and address the rising concerns over gambling addiction, particularly among the youth. These regulations form part of a broader strategy aimed at making the legal gambling landscape more controlled and responsible.

The Push for Higher Age Limits: A Response to Addiction Concerns

The decision to raise the gambling age has been largely influenced by advocacy from organizations like VAD, the Flemish center of expertise for alcohol, illegal drugs, psychoactive medication, gambling, and gaming. VAD has long argued that increasing the age threshold is a cost-effective measure to reduce gambling addiction rates among young adults. They highlight that individuals under 21 are particularly susceptible to gambling-related harms, and thus, stricter age limits are essential.

However, while the public health community supports the age increase, licensed operators in Belgium have voiced significant concerns. Many fear that these heightened restrictions will drive gamblers, especially younger ones, towards unregulated offshore gambling websites, where there are fewer protections and oversight.

Rising Concerns Over the Illegal Gambling Market in Belgium

The pushback from the legal gambling industry is rooted in tangible data. A report by Belgium-based operator Gaming1 has raised alarms about the unintended consequences of overregulation, especially the growth of the illegal gambling market. According to surveys conducted by Nepa in 2023, there has been a noticeable 6% increase in online players engaging with illegal gambling websites in the months following the advertising ban.

Further, Yield Sec, a global market intelligence firm, reported a staggering 4.4-fold increase in illegal operators in Belgium, identifying over 2,214 unauthorized gambling sites in 2023 alone. This rise in illegal activities poses a significant challenge, as it not only undermines the regulated market but also exposes players to unregulated environments where risks of fraud, addiction, and financial loss are higher.

The Belgian Gaming Commission (BGC), tasked with overseeing the country’s gambling landscape, has compiled a blacklist of 500 illegal sites. However, despite these efforts, the growth of unregulated gambling continues to outpace regulatory measures, prompting industry experts to call for a balanced approach that considers both consumer protection and market sustainability.

Belgium’s decision to raise the minimum gambling age to 21 reflects a commitment to enhancing player protection and addressing the public health concerns associated with gambling addiction. However, the regulatory tightening has sparked fears of an expanding illegal gambling market, as players seek alternatives outside the tightly controlled legal framework.

While the intent behind these measures is clear—protecting vulnerable populations from gambling harms—the challenge remains in striking a balance that curbs addiction without driving players into unregulated, riskier environments. As Belgium continues to refine its approach to gambling regulation, it will be crucial to monitor the impact of these new rules on both the legal and illegal markets to ensure that the desired outcomes are achieved without unintended consequences. The ongoing dialogue between regulators, operators, and public health advocates will be key in shaping a sustainable and responsible gambling landscape in Belgium.