Belgian regulator targets “unambiguous solutions” in new regulatory reform workshops
BGC chair laments “true scourge” of unlicensed gambling sites as new working groups to be created
The Belgium Gaming Commission (BGC) will seek to address the issue of unlicensed gambling after meeting with operators and industry stakeholders at a regulatory reform workshop.
The meeting will take place on 22 September and is the first in a series of workshops designed to combat the growing problem of unregulated sites targeting Belgian consumers.
Stakeholders including operators, scientists and representatives from the Belgian health sector will attend the event.
Attendees will examine the problem of how gamblers differentiate between licensed and unlicensed operators, while also looking at potentially making gambling less addictive to players.
Self-exclusion and the modernisation and optimisation of the BGC’s EPIS database are also included in the subjects to be discussed at the meeting.
The BGC has singled out unlicensed gambling sites as being a major problem, describing them as an “inevitable consequence” of the increased digitisation of the Belgian gaming market.
“These sites try to entice players with a wide range of games of chance and do not take into account applicable rules or measures to protect players at all. On the contrary, problem players are just more vulnerable to this illegal sector,” said the BGC.
“This situation is known and unanimously rejected, but unambiguous solutions to the problem are not obvious and are often not effective.”
BGC chair Magali Clavie labelled unlicensed sites as a “true scourge” which could only be tackled by combining the right expertise and collaborative efforts from all parties.
“The chairman expects an open and constructive debate,” said the BGC. “By entering into a dialogue in a serene, respectful and constructive manner and also by following less obvious avenues, she hopes to achieve optimal protection for players within the legal sector and an efficient fight against illegal supply.”
Insights gleaned from the workshop will be used by the BGC to define its forthcoming regulatory priorities.
The BGC has also committed to setting up multidisciplinary working groups consisting of players, operators, representatives of the assistance sector and debt mediation services and its own secretariat.