Brussels, March 29, 2022 - In order to ensure a safe and controlled gambling environment, the two regulators have agreed to work together on the issue of illegal gaming and gambling sites that operate online without an operating license and do not offer protection to Belgian players.
As part of its monitoring duties, the Gaming Commission has made the fight against illegal gaming and gambling sites one of its priorities. When it finds an illegal offering in Belgium, the commission can impose administrative fines, but it can also blacklist the illegal website and request Internet service providers to block access to it. Last year, the commission put 122 websites on its blacklist. Players logging into one of those websites are then shown a specific stop page indicating that the website in question is illegal. However, sometimes the commission encounters difficulties in blocking access to those websites.
Thanks to the new protocol, it will now be able to count on the intervention of BIPT, which will make its expertise and technical assistance available and raise awareness among operators in the electronic communications sector through various campaigns.
According to Magali Clavie, President of the Gaming Commission, this synergy between regulators will make it possible to strengthen and optimize the fight against the scourge of illegal gambling. This is all the more important since it is estimated that almost a quarter of players have already played on illegal websites, sometimes even without being aware of the illegality in which they participate, she adds.
The two authorities will regularly exchange information on these issues in order to continuously improve this cooperation.