Belgium to introduce ID checks for gambling machines
Mandatory ID verification will be introduced for gambling machines in all retail and leisure venues.
Belgium. The Federal Council of Ministers has approved new gambling restrictions for land-based gambling in Belgium. All slot machines in retail, leisure and hospitality venues in Brussels, Wallonia and Flanders will require mandatory electronic ID verification.
The council approved the restriction via fast-track after finding existing rules to be insufficient for retail and leisure venues. The Belgian Gambling Commission will draw up a timeline and technical guidance for how the e-ID checks are to be implemented.
Minister of justice Vincent Van Quickenborne said the move is intended to prevent underage gambling and enhance player protection measures. He said: “This is an important step in the fight against gambling addiction. We will no longer tolerate unchecked financial pain at the expense of people with addiction.”
The move comes after Denmark introduced mandatory ID checks for gambling machines this month.
Belgian has been tightening its regulations on gambling over the past year. In July, a ban on gambling advertising came into force. The Belgian Gambling Commission also issued a reminder to operators about new rules requiring the addition of a “mandatory preventative message” across all communications.
The regulator stressed that the rule applies to existing communications as well as new ones. The decree bans all forms of gambling advertising and requires operators to add the message “gambling is addictive” to any previous communications still visible to consumers. The new message replaces the previous tagline “please play in moderation”. All communications must also mention the website of the Belgian gambling self-exclusion scheme, www.stopoptijd.be.
