Across Europe, the minimum legal age required for gambling activities varies between 18 and 21. Unlike the United States, where the legal age for gambling and consuming alcohol is 21 in a majority of states, many countries on the Old Continent permit such activities after 18.

The Flemish Expertise Center for alcohol, illegal drugs, psychoactive medication, gambling and gaming, VAD, released a new memorandum this week, asking for changes to the existing legislation in Belgium, effectively restricting young adults under the age of 21 from gambling. The organization flagged concerns about the impact of gambling on young adults, encouraging lawmakers to increase the minimum age required for such activities.

Belgium’s existing gambling laws prohibit individuals under the age of 21 from playing at retail slots or visiting brick-and-mortar casinos. Similarly, anyone under the age of 21 is not allowed to engage in online gambling.

While those restrictions sound good enough, there are gambling activities that young adults who are 18 or older can access. For example, anyone above the age of 18 can participate in lotteries, bingo, as well as some online games of chance.

Effective Measures to Protect Young Adults

According to VAD’s memorandum, the prevention of harm related to alcohol and gambling can be achieved through several measures. It said that the most “cost-effective” measures include the implementation of an advertising ban, increases in prices as well as limiting availability.

Besides increasing the minimum gambling age to 21, the organization supported the raising of the minimum age for alcohol to 18. The proposed changes that seek prevention “through cost-effective measures in legislation,” are in line with VAD’s 2021 10-point plan on effective gambling regulation.

As an example of why there is a need to increase the gambling age in Belgium, the organization pointed to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Citing data, VAD revealed that some 43,122 new players registered for the first time with a gambling operator at that time. A majority or 58% of the players were under the age of 30, the organization confirmed. Citing research, VAD explained that exposure to gambling activities at a young age increases the chance of gambling addictions.

Besides gambling and alcohol, VAD’s memorandum outlines a total of nine priorities that seek to implement effective policies for gaming, illegal drugs and psychoactive medication. The memorandum highlighted the increasing risks of all such activities, urging not only for prevention and early intervention but also assistance and harm reduction.

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