By 2012, the Belgian Gaming Commission will require ISPs like Mobistar, Telenet, Base and Belgacom to block online casinos and other gambling sites that are not licensed under the discriminatory gambling laws of Belgium. The Belgian Gaming Commission shall be deputized to enforce these laws and will seek the support of the Belgium police. A representative of the Commission has confirmed that the concerned ISPs were already advised of the gambling sites that are currently on active status but were blacklisted for not having the required license under existing laws and regulations for online gambling in Belgium.

“This black list will be regularly updated as we tag new illegal casino operators and a parallel white list will also be maintained to record those gambling sites which are licensed and approved by the Belgian Gaming Commission,” the source from the Commission added.

Industry experts peg the number of online gamblers in Belgium that play on licensed and acceptable gambling sites to be between 30,000 and 40,000, while online gamblers four times this number play on foreign gambling sites that purportedly offer better incentives. By taking to task ISPs to block online casinos and other gambling sites that are not licensed under Belgian laws, the Commission is expecting a shift of this segment of the online gambling population to online casino and gambling sites that are licensed in Belgium.

This latest punitive measure that is being undertaken by Belgium gambling authorities do not sit well with the European Commission and puts an added stress to the already tenuous relationship that exists between the two. This draconian measure, which some sectors consider as unjustified interference, could lead to litigations and legal intramurals in the coming months as gambling companies are prepared to bring the problem to the European Court of Justice.

Posted on: December 16, 2011

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