Belgium

Is Online Betting Legal in Belgium?

By and large, Belgium has been moving in the opposite direction from most countries by putting up stringent measures against internet gaming. In contrast to various European countries that are easing online gambling restrictions and attitudes towards it, the approach by Belgium is characterized by tough regulations on its people as well as bookmakers. It is quite astonishing bearing in mind what happened in 2011 when a more liberal attitude was taken.

Belgians Have Been Betting Since the 1400s

Belgium is a country whose gambling history goes back to centuries ago. From its earliest origins in the fifteen century, lotteries of one kind or another have existed throughout most of Belgium’s history while other forms of betting culture has been witnessed within the Belgian society over the years with horse racing and casinos becoming increasingly popular in the recent past.

Betting outlets are a common sight in Belgium. UK-based firm, Ladbrokes, has been present since 1980’s and is found in at least 440 locations within the country.

Belgium in 2002 legalised online gambling at a time when most other countries in Europe were prohibiting online betting activity. The population of Belgium enjoyed unrestricted, unmonitored years of betting in Belgium until there was a visible shift in policy following the Gambling Act of 2009.

Stricter Online Regulation

By January 1, 2011 a new Belgian gambling law was put into force. Among others, it involved tight control of online gambling, closed licensing system. The licenses given to online activities were 9 for casinos, 180 for gaming arcades and 34 for betting.

One other provision for online operators was that they needed to be present in Belgium physically for example by locating their land servers and obtaining a terrestrial license. Only the companies that operated within Belgium could legally accept online bets.

If any party or person advertises illegal gambling services to the Belgian nation, in whatever form such as marketing, affiliates schemes and so on, there will be criminal penalties for them.

Betfair, however, challenged this position in court, and the law was upheld to maintain their ban on its operation. Companies that go against this law and operate in Belgium may be fined up to €25,000 or even up to €100,000 if they choose to continue offering their services.

How Betting Sites Secure a Licence in Belgium

Bookmaker Belgique or any betting site in Belgium that wants to get an authentic gambling license will have to go through the Gaming Commission, also called Kansspelcommissie. For a casino to operate it must have “licence A” but for an online betting site in Belgium it needs something more, that is “licence A+”.

According to the aforementioned, alien websites may not freely function in Belgium, therefore the firm will have to stay within its borders. The process of application could cost roughly five hundred thousand euros.

Depositing at Sports Betting Sites in Belgium

In Belgium, citizens have a lot of payment options to choose from when it comes to betting. Debit and credit cards are clearly the most well-liked ones but best bookmakers in Belgium can also propose PayPal, NETELLER, Paysafecard, Skrill, Western Union and bank transfer.

The majority of the betting websites that can be accessed are licensed in Belgium. This makes it easier for persons to fund their accounts because there are fewer problems and regulations when funding an account. If you want to make things even simpler, think about payment options that are well known within your area.

A good example is that Bancontact Mobile can generally be found as a deposit option in most sites. But if you are interested in sports betting, and want to gamble using cryptocurrencies, there are many Belgium-based websites where you can use Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies that have rapidly gained popularity.

Do You Pay Taxes on Winnings in Belgium?

Belgium has a vague measure of taxing gambling winnings. Many sources propose that money got from betting is tax exempt, just like it is across the entire continent. On the other hand, the Belgian Treasury argued that any “occasional or accidental winnings outside of a professional activity“, thus including play winnings, are subject to taxation of “various income” at a rate of 33%.

The BCG argued that players don’t pay any tax when they win a game, which contradicts this legal interpretation.

Reality is that tax rates in Belgium are regionally determined, which are three: Walloon, Flemish and Brussels-Capital. It should be mentioned that at the time of writing this rate may be different, but as it stands now the tax rate is 11% on gross margins for online gambling. There are also some bets in Belgium that do not fall under Gaming Act like Lotteries that can operate free from taxes.

Final Thoughts on Betting Online in Belgium

Part of the Gaming Act 2009, declarations by the Gaming Commission have set new stringent laws concerning online gambling in Belgium. The gaming fraternity scoffed and resisted at first when they heard that Belgians cannot use unlicensed websites but BGC has been winning cases in court.

Since big organisations such as Bwin and Betfair have agreed to the stipulations that govern their receipt of a Belgian gambling license, the number of bookmakers available for use by Belgian citizens has increased.

It is always bad for the pro gamblers who do the big businesses in betting if they don’t have access to mainstream football betting sites such as 188Bet. Nevertheless, there are a plenty of alternatives to choose from on different horse races, football and NBA betting with Belgian bookmakers for those who do it for fun only.