Belgian gambling regulator gets new IP-blocking powers
The Kansspelcommissie will work with DNS Belgium to take control of domains that ignore warnings.
Belgium- The national gambling regulator of Belgium, the Kansspelcommissie, has been granted the authority to impose IP blocking measures against unlicensed gambling operators. The new powers follows a cooperation agreement signed with DNS Belgium, the body responsible for managing the country’s domain extensions, which include .be, .vlaanderen, and .brussels.
Under the new arrangement, Kansspelcommissie officials will identify and flag websites they consider to be unlawful because they offer online gambling without a Belgian licence. DNS Belgium will receive an immediate alert and will notify the domain holder that their site violates registry rules and is being used to target gambling at Belgian citizens illegally.
If the domain owner fails to comply voluntarily, DNS Belgium has the power to seize control of the domain. In that case, those attempting to access the site would be redirected to a warning page issued by the Kansspelcommissie and displayed in both Dutch and French. This will explain that the content is prohibited.
The regulator said the new cooperation will “make it easier to detect illegal gambling sites that use websites with a .be domain.
IP blocking is a fairly common tactic used by gambling regulators in an attempt to prevent the use of unlicensed gambling sites. Some regulators also have payment-blocking powers.
However, IP blocking is not permitted in all jurisdictions due to concerns about possible breach of constitutional rights to the freedom of choice. In Germany, courts have ruled the the federal gambling regulator Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL) does not have the authority to issue blocking orders. The GGL is pushing for German gambling legislation to be changed to allow this.
In some countries, regulators must demonstrate that a gambling site is specifically targeting residents in order to obtain a block. That’s the case in Sweden, where an operator must use Swedish language or payment methods to be deemed to be targeting the local market and qualify for enforcement action. This is set to change under a proposed overhaul of Swedish gambling legislation.
