Belgium Operators Attempt to Appeal on New Deposit Limit
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has continued its impact around the world as well as Belgium. There were over 10,000 confirmed cases and 1,000 plus death has been recorded. In order to reduce the risk of online gambling to gamblers during lock down the Belgium Gaming Commission (BGC) has decided to impose a weekly deposit limit of 500 Euro per player on all operators. However, operators from Belgium are not satisfied with such limitations and are considering filing an appeal. This is due to their business having plummeted by about 40% as a consequence of the pandemic.
The Belgian Association of Gambling Operators (BAGO) was unsatisfied with the decisions from the BGC. According to the BGC, gamblers will need extra help to resist the temptation of betting online. However, BAGO plans to offer a new limit which may be reduced any more at the request of the players but cannot be raised in all conditions, irrespective of whether the consumer may show adequate financial ability.
This form of upper limit wiggle room would have been permitted under the old regulations, providing that the accounts of the client have been checked by the National Bank of Belgium’s Main Individual Credit Centre. Although under such regulations, any proposal for a raise will take at least three days to ensure that players will not be tempted to ‘chase’ their losses. The president of BAGO, Emmanuel Mewissen said the Belgian-licensed operators were furious at the BGC for unilaterally shifting the goalposts without consulting any of their licensees.
In The Meantime, Mewissen was very concerned that the BGC’s attempts will backfire by pushing consumers to migrate to global gambling brands where rules and regulations are outside the reach of the BGC’s regulatory system. In any event, Belgium’s online gamblers are now reining in their operation. Speaking in Parliament last week, Justice Minister Koen Geens said there has been a 38% decrease in local
internet gaming traffic since the pandemic took effect, although the National Lottery has seen its profits dropped by 30%. Geens blamed that much of this decline are not just due to the cessation of most sports but also “because, in the new atmosphere of uncertainty, people are losing trust and playing fewer.”
