On March 5, 2022, the Royal Decree of February 17, 2022, establishing the definition of the sideline activity exercised by newspaper shops came into force.
Existing licence holders F2 (FD) who wish to continue taking bets as a newspaper shops as a sideline activity must comply with the following conditions from that date onwards:
- Taking bets only between 6 am and 8 pm
- Total bets may not exceed EUR 250,000 per year
- Offering and displaying at least 200 different titles of daily, weekly and monthly newspapers with the current issue date. The annual turnover from the sale of these titles must amount to at least EUR 25,000.
- To have an agreement with an F1 licence holder without any exclusivity clause in favour of this F1 licence holder.
Licence holders who do not meet these conditions cannot keep their F2 licence and are therefore no longer allowed to offer bets as a sideline activity. To avoid sanctions, they have the option of voluntarily ceasing to offer bets and surrendering their F2 licence. They can report this in writing to the Gaming Commission by e-mail (info@gamingcommission.be) or by post (Gaming Commission, Kantersteen 47, 1000 Brussels).
Existing licensees who do meet the above conditions may continue to take bets as a sideline activity, subject to compliance with the following points:
- Maximum bet of 200 euros per day and per player
- Prohibition on showing images of matches and betting adverts
- Compulsory age verification (no -18 year olds)
Inspections will be carried out to verify compliance with these conditions.