{"id":72537,"date":"2026-05-15T04:02:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T04:02:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/belgium-online-gambling-nearly-doubled-to-14-8-since-2018-despite-eu-toughest-ad-ban\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T04:02:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T04:02:42","slug":"belgium-online-gambling-nearly-doubled-to-14-8-since-2018-despite-eu-toughest-ad-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/belgium-online-gambling-nearly-doubled-to-14-8-since-2018-despite-eu-toughest-ad-ban\/","title":{"rendered":"Belgium Online Gambling Nearly Doubled to 14.8% Since 2018 Despite EU-Toughest Ad Ban"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>(Originally posted on : Bitcoin News )<\/b><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"@container mb-[25px] rounded-sm overflow-clip py-0.5 pr-0.5 pl-2.5 bg-success-100\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col gap-m overflow-clip rounded-[6px] !bg-success-10 p-3 @[420px]:p-m\">\n<h2 class=\"m-0 flex items-center gap-s text-[19px] !text-[#1c1c1c] md:text-[20px]\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"10\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 10\" fill=\"none\" class=\"shrink-0 text-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M1 1.5h14\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><path d=\"M1 8.5h10\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><span>Key Takeaways<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul class=\"m-0 flex list-none flex-col gap-m pl-0\">\n<li class=\"m-0 flex items-start gap-s !text-[#434248]\"><span class=\"mt-2 size-2 shrink-0 rounded-full bg-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><span class=\"text-body\">Sciensano found Belgium online gambling rose from 7.9% in 2018 to 14.8% in 2023-2024 despite the 2023 ad ban.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 flex items-start gap-s !text-[#434248]\"><span class=\"mt-2 size-2 shrink-0 rounded-full bg-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><span class=\"text-body\">BAGO called for stronger Belgium enforcement after Sciensano data showed 52.6% weekly gambling ad reach.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 flex items-start gap-s !text-[#434248]\"><span class=\"mt-2 size-2 shrink-0 rounded-full bg-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><span class=\"text-body\">2.6% of the Belgian population is at risk of problem gambling per PGSI short-form screening tool.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Online Gambling Doubling Outpaces Ad-Ban Restrictions as Licensed Bookies Bear Regulatory Cost Alone<\/h2>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciensano.be\/sites\/default\/files\/infographic_ga_en.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sciensano Health Interview Survey 2023-2024<\/a> found that 14.8% of the Belgian population now gambles online \u2013 nearly double the 7.9% recorded in the 2018 survey wave \u2013 despite the country\u2019s 2023 advertising ban on licensed private gambling operators. The Belgian Association of Gaming Operators (BAGO) has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intergameonline.com\/igaming\/news\/belgian-trade-association-calls-for-tougher-action-against-illegal-operators\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">called for stronger enforcement against unlicensed providers<\/a> after the same survey showed 52.6% of Belgians are exposed weekly to at least one form of gambling advertising. The trade body\u2019s intervention this week frames the persistent weekly reach as the byproduct of two structural carve-outs in Belgian regulation: the National Lottery\u2019s exemption from the country\u2019s Gambling Act, and the continued presence of an illegal online gambling market that operates outside practical advertising restrictions.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, 31.9% of the Belgian population gambled at least once in the past 12 months and 8.0% gambled weekly per the Sciensano HIS 2023-2024 wave, with online gambling growth concentrated in the 25-to-34 age bracket, with 20.2% playing on the internet. The same survey found 2.6% of the Belgian population at risk of experiencing problem gambling using the PGSI (Problem Gambling Severity Index) short-form screening tool, rising to 7.7% among those who gambled in the past 12 months. Weekly advertising exposure peaks on television (51.1%), websites and apps (47.3%), and social media (46.4%), with secondary exposure via street advertising (45.2%), in-shop displays (44.1%), and newspapers and magazines (28.6%).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/iclg.com\/practice-areas\/gambling-laws-and-regulations\/belgium\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Belgium\u2019s regulatory framework<\/a> prohibits licensed private gambling operators from advertising via television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and social media, alongside direct communication channels including email, post, and SMS. Limited exceptions remain in place for in-venue communication, operators\u2019 own websites, and certain forms of targeted search engine advertising. A separate sports sponsorship ban came into effect at the start of 2025, further narrowing licensed operators\u2019 marketing options across the country\u2019s professional sports leagues.<\/p>\n<p>The National Lottery falls largely outside Belgium\u2019s Gambling Act despite accounting for the overwhelming majority of player participation. Sciensano data indicates that lottery games are the single most popular gambling type at 29.5% of the population \u2013 translating to roughly 92% of all Belgian gamblers. Lottery advertising therefore remains broadly permitted across television, radio, and social media channels, channels that licensed private operators cannot use under the 2023 ad ban framework.<\/p>\n<p>Belgium\u2019s experience tracks a wider European pattern of restrictive gambling regulation coinciding with black market growth. Italian football federation analysis published in April linked <a href=\"https:\/\/news.bitcoin.com\/italy-eyes-gambling-sponsorship-return-as-football-federation-links-ad-ban-to-structural-decline\/\">the country\u2019s 2018 Dignity Decree<\/a> advertising ban to roughly \u20ac25 billion in annual unlicensed wagers, while an independent 2024 study found <a href=\"https:\/\/next.io\/news\/regulation\/belgium-illegal-gambling-undermines-player-protection\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the Netherlands\u2019 illegal market share grew<\/a> from approximately 20% in 2021 to over 35% late in 2023 after stringent deposit limits and advertising bans took effect.<\/p>\n<p>The Sciensano report also flagged the continued presence of the illegal online gambling market as outside the practical reach of Belgian advertising restrictions, with unlicensed operators continuing to target Belgian consumers through social media, affiliate platforms, and influencer channels without consulting the EPIS (Excluded Persons Information System) self-exclusion database, enforcing weekly deposit limits, applying age verification, or meeting the player protection requirements applied to licensed operators.<\/p>\n<p>Belgium\u2019s enforcement situation contrasts with recent UK measures. The UK Gambling Commission posted a senior \u201cHead of Illegal Markets\u201d role this week alongside \u00a326 million in new government funding for black market enforcement, after research surfaced by the Betting and Gaming Council found the UK black market had grown to \u00a316.6 billion in 2025, more than tripling from 2019.<\/p>\n<p>BAGO summarized the policy gap in its response statement, arguing that the 52.6% weekly ad exposure metric \u201cdoes not originate exclusively from licensed private operators\u201d but is \u201calso influenced by actors who fall outside the prohibition, operate under transitional regimes, or fail to comply with the rules.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.bitcoin.com\/belgium-online-gambling-nearly-doubled-to-14-8-since-2018-despite-eu-toughest-ad-ban\/\">Source link <\/a><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Originally posted on : Bitcoin News ) Key Takeaways Sciensano found Belgium online gambling rose from 7.9% in 2018 to 14.8% in 2023-2024 despite the 2023 ad ban. BAGO called for stronger Belgium enforcement after Sciensano data showed 52.6% weekly gambling ad reach. 2.6% of the Belgian population is at risk of problem gambling per [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3947362403,"featured_media":72538,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72537"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3947362403"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72537"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72537\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}