In 2011, Belgium was one of the first countries where online casinos had to have permits to offer online casino games. The gambling legislation is very strict and is seen as the most complicated in Europe.
It is precisely because of this legislation that it is difficult for players from Belgium to play at various online casinos. There are only a handful of websites that can meet the strict legislation that the Belgian government has introduced.
This ensures that there is little competition when it comes to online casinos and this often ensures that the customer -friendliness of these casinos does not score very high. Every online casino that wants to offer games in Belgium needs a permit and these are difficult to get.
Multiple online casino permits
There are several permits in Belgium that can get online casinos. There are a total of 9 and these differ. If an online casino wants a permit, it is one of the conditions that there is a link between a physical casino and an online casino.
This means that an online casino can only offer casino games online if the casino also has a branch in Belgium. As this is against the rules of European free movement of services, this condition has been causing collisions between Belgium and the European Commission for years.
This condition ensures that players from online casinos are offered much more protection and thereby for them Reliable casinos to be able to choose.
Epis to exclude players
Belgium also has a system with which some people can be excluded from online casinos. This is called epis, or excluded persons information system. This contains all players who are not allowed to participate in online casino games.
When you are on this list, you cannot be admitted to both online casinos or physical casinos. An online casino must always check or a player who makes a new account is not in Epis. This is also the black list and if you are on this, an online casino may not give you access to online Casino games.
This is to prevent people who are not allowed to gamble because of, for example, their profession or people who are in debt restructuring cannot gamble, both online and in a physical casino.
9 casinos
According to Belgian law there may only be 9 casinos in the country. These casinos can be found over the country. There may be 4 casinos per national part and the 9th casino can be found in Brussels. In Belgium you will be admitted to a casino when you are 21.
In all casinos you can only find games that have been approved by the Gaming Committee. Think of card and table games and lock machines. There is also a maximum hour of loss of $ 70 per cabinet and this is also determined by law.
For a legal jar poker You also have to be in the casino. In principle, this is the only place where it is allowed to poke for money. All these rules must prevent addictions.
Permit A+
For a casino it is important to have an A+ permit. This permit can be requested by the physical casinos in the country. In many cases these permits are again rented to large international companies.
The same rules apply to an online casino as for a physical casino. You can only be admitted if you are 21 years or older and you cannot be in the epis. Since you are your details of your account must verify, it is not possible to mess with your age.
You will have to hand in a copy of your proof of identity and then you will fall through the basket. It is important that you always use your own data for your account and that they are also correct.
Type B permit
There is also a type B permit in Belgium. These permits are issued to gambling halls and are also known as play halls, slot machines or luna parks. A total of 180 slot machine halls are allowed throughout the country.
It does not matter how these are distributed over the country, but 180 is the maximum number. A total of 30 slots may stand in each play hall and 2 roulette spell.
Furthermore, only a few of the real casino games can be played with this permit. Think of dice games, video poker, roulette and blackjack. This may only be an automated version without real dealers. In these gambling halls, the loss limit per hour is set at $ 25 per automatic.
Type B+ permit
If a gambling hall has a type B permit, such a hall can also apply for a B+ permit for online. For example, an online play hall is created and players can also them online. The range is smaller than at an online casino and there are also limits for bets.
The hour loss that applies to a physical play hall also applies to its online version and is $ 25 per hour. Since the legislation and rules are so strict, there are only a few providers with an online playing hall.
Of course it does not help that a casino has a much larger supply and there are also sufficient illegal online casinos where players can go to gamble.
Type C permit
There are also a type C permit. This is the permit issued to cafés that have 1 or more slot machines. With a type C permit, cafés can have a total of 2 slot machines. These machines are also called bingo machines.
However, there are catering bosses that have found a running hole. There are certain slots that do not require a permit. This is why you will see more than 2 vending machines in some cafés.
The reason that cafés place one or more slot machines in the cafe is because alcohol can give players courage. In many cases people with a sip on longer and this often means more profit for the bar boss.
Permits type D and E
Furthermore, there are also the type D and E. Type D. Type D is a permit for those who work in the casino, the play hall or at a bookmaker's office. For this, a declaration of good behavior must be submitted and an exam is taken. This permit is not necessary for the online version.
Type E permit is for the companies that are in possession of slots, develop or repair them. This type of permit is also a requirement for the online version. Online casinos may only offer games of play providers with a type E permit.
There is also a detour for this. If the online casino where the game is played has this type of permit, it will also be accepted.
Permits F1, F2, FA+ and G
Finally, there are the permits type F1, F2, FA+ and Type G. The F permit is for sports competitions where there is a distribution between F1 and F2. The F1 is for the organizer of the competition who also gives the opportunity to bet.
F2 is again for betting offices and newspaper shops that offer the organizer's bets with a permit F1. The FA+ permit is for online bets and can only be requested by an F1 license holder.
The last type G permit is for games of chance that, for example, organize television or radio. G1 is for ringing games on TV and G2 is for the other games via TV, radio or the newspaper.
Physical visitors are declining By online casino permits
In Belgium, no food can be served in the gambling halls. You can get drinks there and this must be for a price that is correct with the market value. No free food or drink may be distributed in the gambling halls.
Since slot machines are not allowed, the gambling halls try to deal with this very creatively. The fruit symbols are then replaced by dice, for example, making it a dice game.
These physical gambling halls see their number of visitors quickly and valleys. This is of course because more and more games can also be played online. Nobody has to leave the house anymore if they want to gamble and can gamble 24/7 when they want. This decrease can also be if players have ended up in epis.
