Belgian gambling revenue continues to rise, but minimum age hike hits first-time player numbers
The Belgian gambling regulator Kansspelcommissie has published its annual report showing a rise in gross gambling revenue in Belgium.
Belgium.- The annual report from the Belgian gambling regulator Kansspelcommissie shows that regulated online gambling sector expanded further in 2025. However, the number of first-time players entering the market fell sharply, prompting renewed concerns about consumers potentially turning to unlicensed operators.
According to the report, online gross gaming revenue (GGR) from licensed operators in Belgium reached €965m (£826m) in 2025. That represents a year-on-year increase of 5.4 per cent. The regulator estimates that online gambling now accounts for 59 per cent of the country’s regulated gambling market. In contrast, revenue from land-based gambling declined by 7 per cent to €656.09m.
The latest report reflects changes to the way the regulator collects and processes financial information from licence holders. Since 2024, operators have been required to submit financial data digitally on a quarterly basis. However, the regulator initially lacked the resources needed to analyse all submissions comprehensively, resulting in the omission of certain data from its previous annual report.
Further scrutiny became possible following the appointment of a full-time employee to the regulator’s Financial Control unit in December 2025, allowing additional analysis and data corrections to be completed. Updated figures show that growth in online gambling revenue occurred alongside a significant fall in player acquisition. During 2025, 110,032 people registered to gamble online for the first time. That’s a decline of 43.1 per cent from 193,342 in 2024.
The Kansspelcommissie said part of the decrease could be linked to Belgium’s decision to raise the minimum legal gambling age from 18 to 21, from September 2024. Individuals aged between 21 and 29 previously represented the largest category of new entrants to the market.
The figures relate to first-time gamblers rather than the total number of newly opened accounts, suggesting that fewer consumers entered the regulated online gambling sector during the year. Despite weaker recruitment, engagement among existing players remained strong. Average daily active online users rose by 3 per cent to 160,144, while a total of 528,706 unique individuals placed bets or gambled online at least once during 2025.
The decline in land-based participation was more pronounced. Average daily visits to physical gambling venues dropped by 24.5 per cent to 27,532. However, not all retail sectors were affected equally. Casino revenue increased by 5.85 per cent to €152.29m, while gaming arcade revenue fell by 4.17 per cent. The steepest decline was recorded in cafés with gaming machines, where revenue generated from bingo and other gambling products fell by 17.77 per cent to €196.01m.
The report also highlighted growing demand for self-exclusion. Voluntary exclusions recorded through Belgium’s Excluded Persons Information System (EPIS) climbed to 66,998 by the end of 2025, up from 56,458 a year earlier. During the year, the regulator received 16,358 voluntary exclusion requests, with almost 76 per cent submitted via its digital identification platform.
Player protection measures were further strengthened from 1 May 2025, when gambling operators became subject to broader requirements to verify every customer against the EPIS database before granting access to gambling services. The KSC reported 715,373 blocked attempts to access physical and online gambling products throughout 2025.
BAGO, the trade association representing Belgian gambling operators, argues that the new data provides evidence for its concerns about migration towards unregulated gambling sites.
“The fact that 28 per cent of respondents aged 18 to 30 state they have already played on an illegal gambling site is an alarm signal that cannot be ignored,” BAGO stated. It called on Kansspelcommissie chair Magali Clavie to take stronger action to protect both consumers and licensed operators from growing black-market competition.
