Ladbrokes’ Belgian business suspended for 24 hours over virtual betting
No bets will be processed by operator on 3 September under ban
Ladbrokes’ Belgian licence will be suspended for a 24-hour period from midnight on 3 September following an investigation by the Belgium Gaming Commission (BGC) into unauthorised online betting.
The BGC issued a sanction against the operator after it found that it had offered unauthorised virtual betting to players despite a Belgian decree restricting virtual betting being introduced in August 2017.
The Belgian Council of Ministers passed a Royal Decree in August defining virtual betting as “automated games of chance” rather than betting, severely restricting their provision in the Belgian market.
The decree prohibits the operator from referring to existing teams, players, matches, competitions and utilising any existing logos of any team in its virtual betting operations. It is also forbidden to “determine the forbidden to determine the result of the virtual sport event in function of the bets.”
Its investigation revealed that Ladbrokes had continued to operate virtual sporting events that it was unauthorised to operate under the decree, only ceasing operation on the 14 March this year.
Under the sanction, no in-shop or online bets may be placed throughout the 3 September, with the ruling affecting the businesses 300 premises, its 100 linked betting shops and the entirety of its online operations in Belgium.
Ladbrokes subsidiaries Tiercé Ladbroke SA and Derby SA will also be unable to conduct business during the stoppage. The company generates an annual turnover of €225m in Belgium, processing more than €600,000 per day.
Under regulations, Ladbrokes can lodge an appeal with the Belgian Council of State against the sanction, but any appeal will not result in the suspension of the ban.
Neither the Belgian Gaming Commission or Ladbrokes owner GVC Holdings had responded to EGR Compliance’s request for comment at the time of writing.