Poker News – While the company risks becoming the first operator to ever be charged with criminal sanctions in Belgium, Betclic Everest has announced its decision to pull out from the country. Starting Monday, Betclic Everest’s four different brands including Betclic and Bet-at-Home will no longer be available to Belgium residents.
The decision comes while Belgium’s Public Prosecution Office (PPO) carries an investigation on Betclic operations that could result into a €1.2m fine for the company.
As reported by eGaming Review, a spokesperson from Betclic confirmed the group’s withdrawal from the Belgian market, but refused to issue any further statement or comment on the issue.
The troublesome relationship between Betclic and the PPO came to the attention of the media in February, when Belgium’s authorities seized approximately €600,000 in transactions made to betclic.com.
The operation started once several payment processors and financial institutions signaled the existence of transactions between Betclic and citizens resident in Belgium – a country where the operator has been blacklisted since May 2012.
What the prosecutor’s office considers being Betclic’s illegal activity in Belgium refers to operations carried out by the company between the adoption of the Belgian Gambling Act (2010) and today.
According to the country’s legislation, companies interested in offering online gambling to Belgium’s citizens need to acquire a license to enter a state-controlled system and partner with a brick-and-mortar casino.
