Belgium released a revised version of the Gambling Act which requires all gambling and betting operators to hold a license issued by the Belgium Gaming Commission if they want to do business in the capital of the European Union.
The act went live on January 1, 2011. Belgians enjoy gambling and betting and the country makes sure that the market is properly regulated in order to protect the players and operators as well. By rewriting the Gambling Act, Belgium put a ban on all games of chance. However, this led to an increase in illegal gambling, prompting the government to regulate the market by issuing licenses.
The ban on games of chance is still in place, with only licensed operators allowed to host games. Unlike other licenses, the Belgium license requires operators to have a land-based license and an additional license that allows them to offer online gambling.
Belgium Gaming Commission
The Belgium Gaming Commission is the highest authority for online gambling in this European country. The Commission ensures players and operators are properly protected from exploitation by issuing a gaming license which covers a variety of games. Prospective operators that want to acquire the license must have a domain ending in .BE – any operator working without a license in Belgium faces heavy fines and end of operations. Belgium has pretty strict requirements for the gaming licenses and instantly blacklists any operator whose domain doesn’t end in .BE.