Belgium reduces online gambling weekly deposit limit

The Belgian Government has announced a reduction in the weekly deposit limit for online casino players, from €500 to €200 per licenced website, making it the second reduction in the past two years. The announcement, which came as a Royal Decree and was published in the Belgian Official Gazette, will come into effect by October 20 and will affect players across all gaming verticals.

This is coming after the country’s Council of State, last month, upheld the decision to reduce deposit limits, among other rules.

According to the decree, the Belgian Gaming Commission will go through players’ accounts and review their activities for the last week to reset the limits when it eventually takes effect.

“In order not to risk becoming a problematic gambler and to keep the game fun, it is recommended not to spend more than 5% of your income for this purpose,” the BGC said. “If you win €2,000, this means that your deposit limit should not exceed €25 per week.”

The decree however provides for the removal of the limit albeit based on request. To request a limit removal, players would have to contact the operator first, then the operator contacts the Commission. The next step would be for the BGC to get in touch with the National Bank of Belgium to check whether the player is listed on the Central Individual Credit Register as a payment defaulter. Any defaulting player is denied and if found to be without any defaults, the limit would be taken off. The request takes three days to be processed and approved or denied.

Meanwhile, removal of the limit does not mean players are totally in the clear as the BGC reserves the right to monitor them in case they default on their payments. Once a player has been flagged as a defaulter, they will have their weekly deposit limit reinstalled.

On the other hand, players can ask for lower deposit limits that are lower than €200. According to the decree, this should be treated by the operator with which the player has an account with immediate effect.

The new gaming control is the latest of the Belgian Government’s efforts in protecting its citizens from unlicensed gambling operators and introducing cautionary methods to how they spend on gambling. It is expected to invariably solidify the country’s reputation in the gaming industry.