Sandra is at the helm of new ZealandCasinos content creation. With more than five years of experience in the field of iGaming, working in the development and design of games, she is in charge of evaluating the sites that we recommend on the platform and writing the most detailed game guides that you will find in English. He is also a dedicated fan of casino games and is always learning something new about them.
[email protected]
Legally approved content
In Belgium, casinos and all types of gambling are illegal unless licensed by the Kansspel Commissie, literally translated as Gaming Commission of Belgium. As the illegality of gambling in the region has led to the uncontrolled proliferation of illegal gambling spaces, both online and offline, the Belgian government has decided to implement legislation and a legislative body for all gambling activities.
In 1999 the Kansspel Commissie was created to regulate the games on the territory of Belgium. Today, the commission provides seven types of online gaming licenses different. These cover both land-based casinos and online casinos, sports betting and other types of gambling.
In this article, we talk a little about the regularization exercised by the Gaming Commission of Belgium and the types of licenses issued by the body. In addition, we will see how the licensing process and existing player protection measures take place.
History of the Kansspel Commissie
Since 1999, the main objectives of the Gaming Commission of Belgium are three:
- First: offer legal advice to the government and Parliament about gambling.
- Second: issue or refuse different types of licenses from companies wishing to do business relating to gambling on Belgian territory.
- Third: supervise the companies licensed by the agency, making sure that they comply with current legislation.
In Belgium, a Type A license is required for the operation of a casino. However, the agency licenses only nine land-based casinos at a time. This resulted in four casinos in Flanders, four casinos in Wallonia and one casino in Brussels. In order to be able to operate online casino games, businesses must obtain a Supplemental Type A+license. Only players over the age of 21 can register and play. Under 21 years of age are considered prohibited from placing bets.
It is forbidden to operate gambling without a prior license issued by the Gaming Commission. Users who are betting on unlicensed games can face fines ranging from 26 euros to 25 thousand euros. For operators of illegal games, the fines are higher.
On the kansspel Commissie's own official website there is a list of websites that Belgian players have access to and that are not currently licensed by the body. Players are therefore warned that if they participate in any of those sites, they may face legal consequences. Some of the sites licensed by the Gaming Commission offer online casino games , which means that Belgians can play online on these sites.
According to Belgian law, the definition of gambling is any game in which a bet is placed, being the result of loss of the bet or profit on the bet based on Chance, and that it is favourable to one of the players or the operator of the game. The definition thus is quite comprehensive and encompasses a huge number of gambling games. The main elements-bet, loss / gain and chance (luck/bad luck) – must be present.
Licensing process
In general, Belgium presents an interesting option to online casino operators, as its tax landscape is relatively low. In addition, the laws in force in the Belgian territory today are obeying and following European standards, which means that the reputation of its operators and their player protection issues have been properly contemplated.
The Kansspel Commissie grants seven types of license for different purposes. The commission also applies supplementary licenses to already licensed operators who wish to offer online gambling. In case operators offer online games without the proper supplementary license, they risk losing all their licenses. Their licensing process is extensive and quite strict. In this regard, players can ensure that the sites licensed by the Gaming Commission of Belgium are reliable.
Types of license
The Gaming Commission can issue, refuse and revoke seven types of casino licenses and online casinos in Belgium. Since the approval of the Gaming and Betting Act of 7 May 1999 , which received an amendment in 2010, the Kansspel Commissie can impose admnistrative sanctions, ranging from a warning to the suspension of all operations conducted by the company for a certain period of time, as well as the revocation of the issued license.
Sanctions, of course, are made under strict protocols. Any and all decisions are made through an extensive investigation carried out by the Commission. Licensed operators facing sanctions can defend themselves before the Belgian Gaming Commission with the assistance of a lawyer if necessary.
Since the Gaming and Betting Act that currently governs gambling in the Belgian territory is a criminal statute, violators (both game operators and players) may eventually face legal proceedings and fines for their offenses.
Player protection and responsible gaming
Belgian player protection is one of the main objectives of the Belgian Gaming Commission. In this way, the agency affirms that the idea is not only to produce an industry that generates profit, as many regulatory bodies still do today. The Kansspel Commissie monitors the integrity of the games used by operators and verifies their financial movement in order to ensure the protection of players.
By the determinations of the Gaming Commission, gambling cannot be compared to any other service, since they can possibly entail problems of compulsiveness and irresponsible loss of money. For this same reason, a number of measures have been implemented to protect players from the possible risks of compulsive gambling.
The official kansspel Commissie website features various information and support channels for players from Belgium.
Conflict resolution
There is not much information regarding the assistance provided to players by the Gaming Commission so far. Players can, however, fill out a complaint form on the organization's website, which can be accessed in English. The team guarantees that they will try to solve the problem or provide the required information.
Casinos licensed by the Kannspel Commission
The team at New ZealandCasinos is constantly evaluating online casinos and betting sites that accept New Zealand players. We evaluate the largest casino operators in the world, as well as online lottery sites , poker sites , and so on.
In addition, we also evaluate game providers, create manuals for each of the classic games and guides to the best sites to place your bets online. We invite you to read our articles and reviews whenever you want to find the best information about online games.
Because of the limit on operators licensed by the Kansspel Commission, the commission has not licensed a large number of companies since 1999. The full list of licensed land-based casinos in Belgium and the full list of licensed online casinos can be found on the commission's official website.
Below, check out the kansspel Commissie licensed casinos that have already been reviewed by our team. Clicking on them will take you to our review where you can find details of the site. Since the Kansspel Commissie is not a licensing body that easily grants licenses – it has a fairly strict administration policy-you can be sure that you will find safe casinos on this list.
(New Zealand lawyer, 36 years experience)
Read and approved: July 23
Updated: July 23
Joseph Kelly is the legal advisor of the creativegiants.co.nz the content of the website has been reviewed and is in accordance with current New Zealand legislation.
The informative and educational content of this portal complies with New Zealand legislation.
[email protected]
LinkedIn
Related Articles
