Flanders Seeks a Simultaneous Rise in the Online Gambling Tax (July 2026)
A note to the Consultation Committee on the regional tax on online games and bets
Last verified: 2026-10-06
On 17 July 2026 the Flemish Government approved a note asking the Consultation Committee to agree a simultaneous adjustment by Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels of the tax rate on online bets, currently 11%, because the server location decides which region may levy the tax.
Flemish proposal on the online gambling tax
What happened
On 17 July 2026 the Flemish Government approved a note proposed by Vice Minister-President Ben Weyts and addressed to the Consultation Committee, titled “Simultane vaststelling van het tarief van de gewestelijke belasting op spelen en weddenschappen waarbij wordt ingezet via informatiemaatschappijinstrumenten”, and put it on the agenda of the next Consultation Committee. It states that the rate on online bets is 11% in all three regions and, in Flanders and Brussels, lower than the rate on offline bets. Flanders wants to harmonise the rate structure and raise gambling taxes, with the rise conditional on the other regions agreeing.
The reason is the server location. On 29 April 2025 the Flemish finance minister told the Flemish Parliament committee that without all three regions acting together servers could be relocated within days and Flanders could lose about EUR 50 million of receipts. The Court of Audit noted in its opinion on the 2026 budget that talks with the other regions were ongoing and that there was no decree basis yet for the adjustment. This record does not state any outcome of the Consultation Committee, which no official source reviewed here reports.
The Flemish Government’s summary of its decisions of 17 July 2026. [1]
The Flemish Parliament committee report of 29 April 2025. [2]
The Court of Audit opinion on the 2026 Flemish budget. [3]
Verification status of this record
This record is at the source-review stage. Every claim in it is marked Verified: each rests on a primary source, namely the Gaming Commission’s own pages, the Gambling Act as coordinated on the Commission’s website, the Official Gazette, the Federal Government’s Council of Ministers communiqués or the Flemish Government and Parliament. Article-level provisions follow the Commission’s unofficially coordinated text of the Act. The provisions changed by the Law of 7 May 2024 (the fine ranges in articles 63 to 65, article 4 §§4-5, article 8/1, articles 54/1, 55 and 55/2 and the blacklist in article 43/8 §4) were cross-checked against that law as published in the Official Gazette of 22 May 2024, read through the etaamb.openjustice.be copy of the Gazette. The official consolidated text on ejustice.just.fgov.be could not be retrieved. Several Commission and government pages were read through search excerpts because the sites block automated retrieval. Market statistics from the Commission’s 2025 Annual Report are not included, because the report itself could not be read; they will be added once verified against it.
Key facts
-
Verified
On 17 July 2026 the Flemish Government approved a note titled “Simultane vaststelling van het tarief van de gewestelijke belasting op spelen en weddenschappen waarbij wordt ingezet via informatiemaatschappijinstrumenten”, proposed by Vice Minister-President Ben Weyts and addressed to the Consultation Committee, and put it on the agenda of the next Consultation Committee.
-
Verified
The note’s starting point is that the rate of the tax on online bets is 11% in all three regions and, in Flanders and Brussels, lower than the rate on offline bets; the Flemish Government wants to harmonise the rate structure and raise gambling taxes, the tax rise being conditional on the other regions agreeing.
-
Verified
The reason for seeking simultaneity is that the server location determines which region can levy the tax; the Flemish finance minister had told the Flemish Parliament committee on 29 April 2025 that without all three regions acting together servers could be relocated within days and Flanders could lose about EUR 50 million of receipts.
-
Verified
In its opinion on the 2026 Flemish budget the Court of Audit noted that talks with the other regions on the tariffs for online games and betting were still ongoing and that there was still no decree basis for adjusting the rates.
-
Verified
The Flemish 2026 initial budget estimates receipts from games and betting at EUR 109.4 million under constant policy.
Sources
- Flemish Government (via Belga Share)Primary source — Beslissingen van de ministerraad van 17 juli 2026 — https://belgashare.be/nl/newsrooms/126/press-releases/34899/beslissingen-van-de-ministerraad-van-17-juli-2026/
- Flemish ParliamentPrimary source — Verslag Commissie voor Algemeen Beleid, Financiën, Begroting, Justitie en Onroerend Erfgoed, 29 april 2025 — https://www.vlaamsparlement.be/nl/parlementair-werk/commissies/commissievergaderingen/1895183/verslag/1898435
- Flemish Parliament (Court of Audit opinion)Primary source — Rekenhof, begrotingsadvies 2026 (Flemish Parliament document 16 (2025-2026)) — https://docs.vlaamsparlement.be/files/pfile?id=2235038