Skip to content

Gambling in Belgium: Laws and Online Gambling

WATCH THE COUNTRY GUIDE · ENGLISH CAPTIONS

Online gambling in Belgium: laws and player risks

Elodie explains online casino rules in Belgium, the evidence on player enforcement, offshore risks and how to assess available options. Checked 8 November 2026.

Video transcript and official sources → · Country video guides →

Published by Filip RadulovicReviewed byFilip RadulovicOur editorial approach

Belgium regulates gambling through a closed licensing system built on the Gambling Act of 7 May 1999 and supervised by the Gaming Commission (Kansspelcommissie in Dutch, Commission des jeux de hasard in French). Every game of chance or bet for money requires a licence. Online gambling is permitted, but only for operators that hold one of the Act’s supplementary “plus” licences. Since 2024 Belgium has tightened its rules considerably: the minimum age for all games covered by the Act is now 21, advertising is prohibited in principle, and sports sponsorship has been sharply curtailed. This guide sets out the legal framework, the licensing model, the rules for online gambling and advertising, the position of players, taxation and the main player-protection tools.

Key points

Organising any game of chance or bet for money in Belgium requires a licence from the Gaming Commission under the Gambling Act of 7 May 1999.
Online gambling is lawful only on websites covered by a “plus” licence (A+ for casino games, B+ for gaming-arcade games, F1+ for betting).
Since 1 September 2024 the minimum age for all games covered by the Gambling Act is 21.
Online play is subject to a default limit of €200 per week per player.
The national exclusion system, EPIS, has been managed by the Gaming Commission since 2004; players can exclude themselves or be excluded at the request of others.

Regional overview: Gambling laws in the EU and the rest of Europe puts all 55 countries and territories on one map, grouped by how they regulate gambling.

Last reviewed: 14 October 2026.

Historical development

Illustrated Belgium landmarks with reference books and documents for the overview section

The modern framework dates from the Gambling Act of 7 May 1999 on games of chance, betting, gaming establishments and the protection of players (Wet van 7 mei 1999 op de kansspelen, de weddenschappen, de kansspelinrichtingen en de bescherming van de spelers). The Act defines a game of chance as any game or bet in which a stake of any kind is made and chance plays a role, and it created the Gaming Commission to license and supervise operators. The Commission describes the Act as pursuing a “channelling policy”: instead of prohibiting gambling outright, it aims to steer players towards a limited, controlled legal offer (Gaming Commission, legislation).

The Act has been amended many times. The Gaming Commission identifies the amendments of 10 January 2010 as a key step; the Act now provides for supplementary licences covering the online offer of licensed operators. Licence holders work with specialist suppliers to provide that offer: in 2015, for example, a live casino supplier signed agreements with several Belgian operators to stream live games from a studio at a Belgian casino.

Gambling advertising has been a recurring political issue. The federal government announced first restrictions in 2017, a Royal Decree of 27 February 2023 laid down detailed rules, and a law of 18 February 2024 raised the minimum age for gambling to 21. These steps are described below.

Legal framework

The Gambling Act is the central statute. It falls under criminal law, so that offences can be prosecuted in the criminal courts, and it is supplemented by a large number of Royal Decrees on specific matters such as gaming machines, online games and advertising. The official consolidated text is published on the Belgian Official Gazette’s portal, and the Gaming Commission provides an unofficial coordinated version (Gaming Commission, legislation).

The Act organises gambling into classes of establishments and activities, each with its own licence:

Licence A / A+: casinos and their online offer;
Licence B / B+: gaming arcades and their online offer;
Licence C: gaming machines in cafés;
Licence D: staff working in gambling establishments;
Licence E: manufacturers, installers, repairers and providers of online gaming platforms;
Licences F1, F1+ and F2: organisers of betting, the online offer of betting, and betting agencies.

This structure is set out on the Gaming Commission’s licensing page. The plus licences are the key to the online market: an operator can offer casino games, arcade games or betting online only through a website covered by the corresponding plus licence. The minister responsible for the National Lottery is represented on the Gaming Commission.

EU law context

As an EU member state, Belgium may restrict cross-border gambling services only where the restrictions are justified by public-interest objectives such as consumer protection and are applied consistently. A gambling licence issued in another member state does not entitle an operator to offer games of chance to players in Belgium without a Belgian licence.

Regulator and licensing model

The Gaming Commission is chaired by a magistrate (Magali Clavie since 2020) and includes representatives of six ministers: Justice, Finance, Economy, Public Health, Home Affairs and the minister responsible for the National Lottery, with both Dutch- and French-speaking members. Its main task, in its own words, is “to ensure channelling to legal gambling, with the primary aim of protecting players”. It advises the government and Parliament, grants licences, monitors compliance and imposes sanctions (Gaming Commission).

Sanctions range from a warning to the suspension of the operation of some machines for a period, and even the withdrawal of a licence. Offenders can also be prosecuted, and where the public prosecutor decides not to prosecute, the Commission may impose administrative fines (Gaming Commission, inspections and sanctions). Licence holders may defend themselves before the Commission, with or without a lawyer.

The Commission publishes an annual report. The report for 2025 was announced on 16 September 2026 and is available only in Dutch and French (Gaming Commission, 2026).

Online gambling

Online casino games on mobile devices

Online casino games, gaming-arcade games and betting are lawful in Belgium only on websites operated under a plus licence. Before using a gambling website, players can check the Gaming Commission’s official B+ licence register, which shows website addresses, operators, decision dates and expiry dates. That register covers only the B+ category, not every type of Belgian licence, and an entry should be checked for its domain and dates rather than treated as proof of current authorisation. Whether a site accepts registrations from Belgium says nothing about whether it is licensed.

Online play is subject to specific protections. The Gaming Commission states that the regulations have been changed on several occasions to better protect players, including “the setting of an online limit on play (maximum 200 EUR/week/player)” (Gaming Commission, protection of players).

Advertising and sponsorship

According to the Gaming Commission, Article 61 of the Gambling Act lays down a prohibition of gambling advertising in principle, in force since 1 September 2024, while the Royal Decree of 27 February 2023 sets the conditions for the limited forms that remain permitted. From 1 January 2025, sports sponsorship by gambling operators may take only the form of the operator’s brand name or logo on the sportswear of players aged 21 or over, within a maximum surface of 75 cm² and not on the front of the shirt. Brand names or logos may not appear at sports venues, on club websites or equipment, or in the names of clubs or events. These rules apply to professional and amateur clubs until the end of 2027 (Gaming Commission, sports sponsorship from 1 January 2025; Gaming Commission, sports sponsorship). The Commission also stresses that the use of a gambling operator’s brand or logo by a sports club or other non-gambling entity counts as advertising whatever the intention behind it.

Position of players

The Gaming Commission’s published materials concentrate on licensing and on sanctions against operators. They describe the Gambling Act as criminal law under which offenders can be prosecuted, but they do not set out a record of prosecutions or fines imposed on individual players for using unlicensed websites, and none was identified for this guide. What the materials make clear is that the protections the Act provides, such as the weekly online limit, the minimum age and the EPIS exclusion system, are obligations of licensed operators; a player using an unlicensed site does not benefit from them.

Several categories of person are excluded from gambling by law or by decision. Since 1 September 2024, nobody under 21 may take part in any game of chance covered by the Gambling Act. The change was made by a law of 18 February 2024, and a Royal Decree of 12 August 2024 amended five existing Royal Decrees, including those on class III and IV establishments, automatic games and advertising, to reflect it (Gaming Commission, 30 August 2024). Certain professionals, namely magistrates, notaries, bailiffs and police officers, are refused entry to gambling establishments because of their functions (Gaming Commission, access ban).

Taxation

Gambling taxes are levied at regional level. In Flanders, the Flemish Tax Service levies a tax on games and bets whose general rate is 15 per cent of the gross margin (stakes minus winnings paid out). Online games and bets are taxed at a uniform 11 per cent. Casino games are taxed progressively at 33 per cent up to €865,000 and 44 per cent above that, and gaming machines in casinos on a separate scale ranging from 20 to 50 per cent (Vlaanderen.be). Players in Wallonia and Brussels should check the rules of the relevant regional tax administration. These taxes are paid by operators; this guide has not identified an official source setting out the income-tax treatment of players’ winnings.

Consumer protection and responsible gambling

Secure account login with a padlock and shield The Excluded Persons Information System (EPIS) is an electronic register of all excluded players, managed by the Gaming Commission since 2004. A person can be entered in EPIS in four ways (Gaming Commission, access ban):

Voluntary self-exclusion at the player’s own request;
Third-party request by an interested party such as a partner;
Court decision, for example for persons granted a collective debt settlement;
Request by a provisional administrator for a person under protection.

The Commission’s website provides a form for requesting an exclusion and a separate procedure for cancelling one. Free help is available 24 hours a day from the SOS Gambling line on 0800 35 777. Dutch-language support is available via gokhulp.be and druklijn.be, and French-language support via joueurs.aide-en-ligne.be, cyberdependance.be and cliniquedujeu.be (Gaming Commission). Our responsible gambling guide explains general tools for keeping play under control.

Recent and upcoming developments

Minimum age of 21. In force for all games covered by the Gambling Act since 1 September 2024.
Advertising. The general prohibition of gambling advertising applies since 1 September 2024; the transitional sponsorship rules introduced on 1 January 2025 run until the end of 2027. The Gaming Commission issued updates on their application on 23 and 30 January 2025.
Amendments to the Gambling Act. The Gaming Commission reported on modifications of the Act on 1 March, 22 May and 2 September 2024, and on the Act of 18 January 2024 “to make justice more humane, faster and more punitive III”, which also affected gambling law (Gaming Commission, recent news).
Annual reporting. The 2025 annual report was published in September 2026.

Sources and further reading

Gaming Commission, Legislation (accessed 5 October 2026).
Gaming Commission, The Gaming Commission (accessed 5 October 2026).
Gaming Commission, Licences (accessed 5 October 2026).
Gaming Commission, B+ licence register (accessed 5 October 2026).
Gaming Commission, Inspections and sanctions (accessed 5 October 2026).
Gaming Commission, Protection of players (accessed 5 October 2026).
Gaming Commission, Access ban (accessed 5 October 2026).
Gaming Commission, Aanpassing minimumleeftijd in verschillende koninklijke besluiten (2024).
Gaming Commission, Sports sponsorship from 1/01/2025 (2024).
Gaming Commission, Sports sponsorship (2024).
Gaming Commission, Recent news (accessed 5 October 2026).
Gaming Commission, The new Annual Report is here! (2026).
Flemish Government, Hoeveel bedraagt de belasting op spelen en weddenschappen? (accessed 5 October 2026).

Casino listings for players in Belgium

The table below is generated automatically from our casino database. It lists operators that accept players from Belgium; inclusion does not mean that an operator holds a Belgian licence. Online gambling is lawful in Belgium only on websites covered by a Gaming Commission plus licence, and only for players aged 21 or over. Check the Gaming Commission’s licence register and licensing information before playing.

Tsars Casino

100% up to

€300

+ 100 Spins

Casoo Casino

100% up to

$/€300

+ 100 Spins

Casino Extreme

200 Spins

Casino Brango

$ 150

Related News

Playtech-sees-strong-growth-in-the-Americas-in-2026

Playtech Raises 2026 Earnings Forecast Above €300M

New-commission-opens-review-into-whether-UK-needs-a-new-Gambling-Act

UK Gambling Review Puts Racing Funding in Focus

Illustration of a courthouse with columns under a globe outline at night, with a gavel resting on its block, a stack of case files tied with a red ribbon and seal, and two casino chips

Gambling Regulation Roundup: Brazil’s Top Court Freezes Betting Cases, CFTC Targets Geoblocks and More

chatbots-went-live-first-KYC-models-are-still-rare

Malta Examines AI Risks in Gaming

Illustration of a ballot slip dropping into a ballot box, a gavel and a stamped decree in front of a courthouse with columns, with a globe and a padlock in the background

Gambling Regulation Roundup: Nebraska Rejects Online Betting, Haiti Creates a Regulator and More