Researchers have called on the Belgian government to enhance the funding and resources available to the Kansspelcommissie, the country’s Gambling Commission, to ensure effective enforcement of new gambling regulations and to combat illegal gambling websites.
This recommendation follows an evaluation of Belgium’s recent gambling advertising ban, primarily funded by the Federal Ministry of Justice.
On September 1, Belgium implemented stringent new rules that raised the minimum age for all gambling activities, both online and retail, to 21 years. The regulations also introduced an outright ban on bonus inducements, further tightening the Royal Decree on Gambling.
These measures build on a broader advertising ban authorized in July 2023, which prohibited gambling promotions across various mediums, including TV, radio, print, online platforms, and public spaces. The ban will be extended in 2025 to include sports stadiums, with all forms of gambling sponsorship in sports set to be prohibited by 2028.
Despite these measures, researchers have raised concerns about the partial enforcement of the ban, particularly in sports settings where gambling sponsorships and incidental advertising remain visible. The ongoing presence of these advertisements is seen as particularly harmful to vulnerable groups, including children, who continue to be exposed to gambling promotions.
The study also highlighted the low collection rate for fines imposed for gambling law breaches, with only 21% collected in 2023, and only 11% recovered over five years. This inefficiency has resulted in a significant loss of revenue for the state.
To address these issues, the report urges the Belgian government to not only increase funding for the Kansspelcommissie but also to consider restructuring the commission to improve its ability to monitor and enforce the new regulations effectively.
Without these changes, researchers warn that the existing advertising bans risk becoming symbolic rather than substantive, failing to protect vulnerable populations from gambling-related harms.
