Belgium’s Attorney Generals provide guidelines for prosecution of gambling breaches

The Board of Attorney Generals has clarified the powers of the national gambling regulator.

Belgium.- The Board of Attorney Generals has drawn up guidelines intended to clarify norms for the prosecution of infringements of gambling regulations. The board, which advises the national justice system, undertook a review of the Belgian Gaming Act (1999) in order to explain its rules with the aim of ensuring they are applied in a uniform way.

The body also clarified the powers of the Belgian Gambling Commission, which it said has the right to summon federal authorities to issue warnings, penalties and bans against licensed and unlicensed gambling operators. It noted that the regulator must cooperate with the Federal Prosecutor’s Office (FPO) in the event of infringements related to criminal activities.  

The regulator must inform the FPO of specific infringements related to “clandestine establishments, businesses continuing to operate after licence withdrawal, and unauthorised online gambling and advertising“. Gambling violations that involve criminal activity fall under Article 543 of Belgium’s Gaming Act.

Belgian Association of Gaming Operators draws up Duty of Care

Earlier this month, the six members of the Belgian Association of Gaming Operators (BAGO) committed to a self-imposed Duty of Care. It imposes a series of measures intended to help identify and prevent problem gambling.

The Duty of Care has been signed by all six members of the association: Ardent Group, Betfirst, Golden Palace, Kindred, Napoléon Sports & Casinos and Starcasino. These are the biggest gambling operators in Belgium, together accounting for 70 per cent of the regulated market. Other private operators who are not members have been invited to sign the agreement.

The document lists four pillars: A uniform algorithmic detection system for markers of harm, recommendations to players, including information on harmful gambling, self-exclusion, voluntary deposit limits and reality checks, education and training programmes for staff and the sharing of the plan with the national gambling regulator.