Belgium implements a €200 weekly gambling deposit cap

Belgium announced on Thursday, October 20, that the maximum amount that players can deposit with online gambling providers was cut to €200 ($195).

In the future, players will only be able to deposit a maximum of $195 into their accounts. This is a significant decrease from the initial deposit limit, which was fixed at €500 ($488) in total value. The measure was introduced following contentious debates regarding whether or not this is an excessively stringent approach or not.

The critics of this measures believe that the such strict regulations would just push players to procure their gambling activities outside the country, thereby causing the country to lose out in revenue and also having a strong grip in the industry.

The logic behind all of this change is that anybody who intends to exceed this depositing limit will be required to go through the requisite affordability checks so that operators can be certain that they are not accidentally causing harm to customers.

Affordability checks, despite the fact that they are more restricted in nature, have become a hot-button issue for many authorities in Europe.

Affordability checks are proposals that would require everyone who gambles over a specific threshold to provide evidence that they have the assets and/or income necessary to afford their betting. These checks would be similar to the ones that lenders perform when applicants submit their mortgage applications.

Players in Belgium will also have the ability to request that their deposit limits be reduced below the current minimum amount of $195. This alternative choice will only be available to players in the country.

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