Belgium’s Gambling Commission, the Kansspelcommissie (KSC), has reminded licensed operators that they must warn customers of the dangers of gambling across all of their communications.

The move follows a recent ban on gambling advertising in the country, barring operators from freely promoting their products. The drastic measures kicked off on July 1, imposing a blanket ban on ads.

Now, the KSC has contacted its licensees, reminding them that all their communications and messages visible to the customers must contain mandatory preventive messages. The messages must highlight the addictive nature of gambling and remind players to play in moderation.

In addition to that, as per Article 25 of the Royal Decree, gambling operators in Belgium must also reference the country’s self-exclusion program, Stopoptijd, across their messaging.

Article 25 of this Royal Decree states that the preventive message referred to in Article 20 must currently contain the following message: “Gambling can be addictive. Stop in time! More info at www.stopoptijd.be.”

KSC statement

The Strict Rules Seek to Mitigate Gambling Harm

Belgium introduced its blanket ban on ads amid concerns about gambling harm. The changes, first introduced by Belgium’s Minister of Justice, Vincent Van Quickenborne, seek to curb problem gambling and reduce Belgians’ exposure to gambling products.

Gambling and betting organizations tried to counteract the ban by launching a number of lawsuits but failed to prevent the new laws from getting passed.

The full ban is expected to be enforced from July 2025 and will ban partnerships between sports betting companies and sports organizations as well. The grace period was provided so that existing sponsorships can expire before the new rules come into force.

Finally, the Royal Decree raised the legal age for gambling from 18 to 21 years, in line with the required age for other verticals such as bingo and betting.

Belgium Still Attractive to Betting Companies

Despite the strict new rules, Belgium remains an attractive market for sports betting companies and suppliers, as attested by a number of recent deals.

Last month, Betsson announced its foray into the country through a €120 million acquisition of betFIRST, a leading local gaming and betting operator.

Peppermill Casino, on the other hand, just added content from Pragmatic Play, diversifying its offering and boosting the supplier’s presence in the country.

At the beginning of this month, Belgium’s competitions authority objected to a horse racing distribution agreement between Ladbrokes and Pari-Mutuel Urbain that could hurt competition in the country.

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The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has said that its members have been able to remit more than 45.5 million messages that promoted safer gambling to their customers. These messages are unique as they are not just smartly trying to raise awareness about the issue of problem gambling but also send messages that are calibrated to individual consumer needs.

EGBA Commits to More Personalized Gambling Messaging

At least 48% of these messages were personalized, which further strengthened their impact on consumers. The level of personalization has gone up considerably over the past years and marked a 40% jump year-over-year. As the Sustainability Report 2022/2023 outlines, there has been a significant effort on all levels to ensure that the messages transmitted to consumers are tailored to protect them.

EGBA Secretary General Maarten Haijer welcomed the results and their significance. He continued by saying:

We’re delighted that our members continue to make positive progress in their efforts to promote safer gambling. This is all part of their commitment to put a sustainable approach to gambling at the heart of what they do.

EGBA Secretary General Maarten Haijer

He hailed the collective efforts of the association and its members which are bringing consumers closer to safety and promoting a sustainable industry in which everyone is protected. The takeaway from 2022 was that customer accounts increased to 31.2% million or a 5% gain in the numbers.

According to the association, 74% of all customers were male and 26% of all customers were female. The prevalent customer age of group was those aged 26-35 followed by those 36-50. Both categories posted numbers close to each other.

Tailored Approach and Interventions to Prevent Harm

EGBA hailed the personalized and safer gambling messages in general and said that 51% of those customers that received intervention actually reduced their financial losses in the three-month period immediately after the said intervention. EGBA’s members continued to seek and intervene in the cases of those customers that didn’t experience loss reduction.

Meanwhile, 76% of all EGBA members received responsible gambling training, indicating that the association is all but committed to protecting consumers. EGBA also posted the numbers of those members that contributed to problem gambling research, education, and treatment across Europe, with the total amount reaching €49 million ($55 million), or a 109% gain.

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