The Belgian Gaming Commission, the regulatory body that has the final say over gaming matters in the country, stated that it has extended the period in which certain operators, Unibet and Ladbrokes included, need to make sure that their live dealers are provided from within the territory of Belgium.
Not long ago, the regulator shared its plans to implement a ban on all live dealers that are supplied from outside the country. What is more, the gambling operators were to be given until the beginning of February to inform the Gaming Commission about the set-up of their dealers.
Yet, a special meeting was held last week. During it, the gaming regulator pointed out that seven operators were given until the end of June 2015 to make the due changes in the set-up of their live dealers. They also need to make sure that all the requirements of the regulator have been followed strictly.
Unibet.be, Ladbrokes.be, Goldenpalace.be, Casino777.be, bwin.be, Palladiumgames.be, and 36win.be are the seven operators that have been allowed to keep on offering their live dealer games, provided that they implement the respective changes before the end of June.
The Belgian Gaming Commission, however, warned the above-mentioned operators that they might be imposed financial penalties, in case their live dealers continue to operate from premises that are not based in Belgium.
The regulatory body released a special statement on the matter, saying that it will sanction every single gaming provider that does not act in accordance with the implemented laws or offers its services without being explicitly permitted to do so as of March this year.
Ian Catchick, digital director of Ladbrokes’ Belgian division, shared with local media that the gaming operator will do its best to meet the live deal requirements of the local regulator. Mr. Catchick pointed out that the company has already been working on developing a product that would comply with the imposed specifications and will also be appealing to their customers.
As previously reported, Belgium is one of the countries that maintain an extremely strict control over the online gaming operations that are provided within its territory. At present, only operators that have a physical presence in the country are allowed to offer their online products.
Back in October 2014, the Belgian gaming regulator announced that it planned to expand its online casino division. It stated that it would do this by awarding two more licenses. Up to that point, there were nine licenses granted.
