Regulations are regulations for Belgium online gambling. And in the heart of the European Union that means fines of up to €100,000 for offering gambling services without a license from the Belgian Gaming Commission.
Controversial regulations imposed in Belgium are in defiance of the European Commission’s regulatory platform asking for all European Union members to accept free e commerce across the board. With regard to Belgium’s online gambling regulations, only land-based casino firms with existing licenses in Belgium can be eligible for online gambling licenses. Some operators have found ways around these rules, with online gambling firms such as Bwin.Party digital entertainment forming partnership deals with smaller terrestrial operators located in Belgium and through these partnerships, are then able to offer Belgian residents their online gambling services.
According to a recent update on Belgium online gambling, the Gaming Commission has expanded its prohibition on offshore operated online casinos, blacklisting another four gambling sites. Belgium has now banned a total of 78 online gambling sites.
Among the online gambling sites put on the blacklist lately included the Amaya Gaming owned Intercasino, an online casino brand that Canadian software developer Amaya Gaming has been operating with some success and Betsson owned Scandinavian Betsafe. Casino Belgie was also put on the no fly zone list of online gambling service providers. Casino-Belgie, is licensed in the Netherlands Antilles.
Both Betsafe and Intercasino are well established in other jurisdictions and are licensed and registered with the Malta Lotteries and Gaming Authority. There have been many arguments put forward by the European Gaming and Betting Association to the European Commission that point out the flaws in the amended regulations imposed in 2008. Critics in the European parliament say Belgium’s gambling laws need to be reviewed and changed to comply with the E.U. treaty agreement on free e-commerce.
Now, Belgium is the center of the European Union, so there is some hope these measures will be sorted out eventually. This story originally appeared on the Online-Casinos.com website.
