Legislation

Belgium – Cruising to change casino legislation

It emerged in October that Belgium’s government plans to expand its Class 1 establishments (casinos) from the current number of licenses which limited to nine. The regulations state there are now new possibilities for the opening of two additional land-based casinos in Belgium, together with the possibility of exploiting or partnering up with a provider exploiting online casino games. This is not only good news for potential land-based casino operators, but also good news for online operators as well. The country currently mandates that online casinos must partner with land-based casinos in order to obtain an online license from the Belgian Gaming Commission(BGC) to legally operate in the country.

We’ve also reported upon the hike in expected taxation of poker players within Belgium to a frightening 75 per cent of earning, but the latest detail from the coalition agreement also includes a paragraph stating that the government will prepare regulations allowing international cruise ships, offering casinos or games of chance on board, to exploit these games in Belgian territorial waters up until the moment the ship makes anchorage.