Online Casino Licensing in Belgium: What the Kansspelcommissie Requires

Belgium distinguishes between several gambling licence categories. The A licence covers land-based casinos, while the A+ licence covers online casino games. The A+ licence is linked to an existing A licence, meaning an operator seeking to offer online casino games must have the required connection to a licensed land-based casino. This makes Belgium structurally different from jurisdictions where online casino licensing is available as a standalone licence.

Belgian online gambling accounts are subject to a default weekly deposit limit of €200 per site, reduced from an earlier €500 limit by a Royal Decree that took effect 20 October 2022. A player can request a higher limit by submitting a request through their licensed operator, which forwards it to the Gaming Commission. The Commission checks, within three days, whether the player is listed as a defaulting debtor in the Centrale des crédits aux particuliers (Central Individual Credit Register) at the National Bank of Belgium; if not listed, the increase is approved for the amount requested, taking effect 72 hours later. A reduction, by contrast, takes effect immediately. The Commission also re-checks approved increases monthly, and a player who later appears on the defaulters’ list has their limit reverted to €200.

EPIS, the Excluded Persons Information System, is Belgium’s central system for identifying people who are excluded from gambling. The system supports exclusion controls across regulated gambling activities, including online and land-based gambling. Licensed operators must check exclusion status as part of their player-protection obligations. Exclusion can arise through voluntary self-exclusion as well as through other statutory or administrative exclusion procedures.

Belgian gambling regulation restricts the use of credit cards for gambling transactions. Licensed operators must comply with applicable payment restrictions and player-protection rules. Operators also have obligations relating to identification, anti-money-laundering controls, transaction monitoring and the reporting of suspicious activity where required by law.

Belgium has significantly tightened the rules governing gambling advertising. Advertising restrictions apply to licensed gambling operators and have been introduced through legislation and Royal Decrees. The framework includes restrictions on advertising and sponsorship, with additional restrictions introduced in stages. Operators therefore cannot market gambling services in Belgium under the same conditions that may apply in less restrictive jurisdictions.

The minimum legal age for gambling in Belgium is 21. Licensed operators must verify the identity and age of players and apply the relevant exclusion checks before permitting gambling activity.

Belgium’s licensing system has specific structural requirements, including the connection between A+ online casino licensing and the land-based A licence. Rather than presenting a ranking of casinos, this page explains the regulatory framework and the main requirements that players should understand when assessing whether an online gambling service is legally licensed for the Belgian market.