Belgian Gambling Commission

The Belgian Gambling Commission is the government appointed body in Belgium, responsible for regulating gambling, and the commission was created in 1999 after a change in law saw games of chance legalized.

While the Belgian Gambling Commission isn’t as well-known as some of the largest regulator (like the MGA or the UKGC), they do a solid job of licensing operators to offer their sites to Belgian players.

In this post, we’re going to take a look at who the Belgian Gambling Commission are, what they do, and how they deal with any complaints submitted to them.

About The Belgian Gambling Commission

Gambling in Belgium was, for a long time, illegal, and all games of chance were prohibited. However, the ban on gambling caused a surge of illegal gambling outlets cropping up, and as a response to this, the Belgian government decided to look at legalizing gambling.

As a result of legislative changes, the Belgian Gambling Commission was formed, and the commission is tasked with issuing gambling licenses to operators wanting to offer services to Beligna players. The commission has three main tasks, which are:

Offering advice and guidance to the Belgian government and parliament;
Determining which operators will receive gambling licenses – and what type of license they are awarded;
Acting as a supervisory body, monitoring licensees, and taking action against rogue and illegal gambling outlets.

The Belgian Gambling Comission can issue a number of different licenses, and this includes everything from land-based casino licenses to online gambling licenses. All casinos are required to hold an ‘A License’, and if an operator wants to offer online gambling, they must also apply for an ‘A+ License’.

The Belgian Gambling Commission – despite being one of the smallest regulators in the world – has a solid reputation for ensuring fairness and transparency in its licensed gambling operations, and they work hard to minimize illegal gambling activity in Belgium.

License Requirements

All operators apply for a license from the Belgian Gambling Commission must show that they are able to safely run an online gambling operation. Operators must show that they have the financial resources in place to meet a € 250,000 guarantee deposit.

The number of ‘A Licenses’ which can currently be awarded is just 9 – although the government is looking to increase this figure in the future, to meet the growing demand of operators wanting to enter the Belgian gambling niche.

Operators who acquire an ‘A License’ must be able to prove that their games are fair, and certain technological standards are enforced by the commission to ensure that the games are random and fair.

Operators are also expected to have stringent processes in place to prevent money laundering and underage gambling, and these processes are regularly audited by the commision to ensure operators are functioning within their license conditions. Operators must give players the ability to exclude themselves from gambling.

Top Belgian Gambling Commission Licensed Casinos

There are currently just ten online casinos licensed by the Belgian Gambling Commission – but this includes some pretty big names. You can view some of the top online casinos licensed by the Belgian Gambling Commission below:

How To Check If a License is Valid

All sites which are licensed by the commission should display the details of their license within their website’s footer area. The commission’s website provides a list of all the current licensees too, and you can view this list here.

The commission also maintain a relatively large ‘blacklist’ of banned gambling websites, and these sites have all been deemed by the commission to be operating illegally. You can view this blacklist here.

Note: Belgian players who place wagers at blacklisted sites are committing a criminal offence and risk criminal prosecution.

Complaints Procedure

The Belgian Gambling Commission do not publish any concrete guidance on whether or not they will deal directly with customer complaints. However, given the responsible nature of the commission, it’s incredibly likely they will deal with complaints on a case-by-case basis, and they will definitely take action against operators running an illegal or unethical service.

If you experience a problem with a casino licensed by the commission, your first step should always be to try and resolve your problem with the operator in question. If this proves unsuccessful, or if you are unhappy with the decision given, you can contact the Belgian Gambling Commission directly, using the contact details listed below.