Restrictions: hard advertising, deposit limits

The Belgian gambling market is one of the most "strict" in the EU: the regulator Belgian Gaming Commission (BGC) simultaneously cuts aggressive marketing, limits the financial risks of players and systematically blocks access to unlicensed operators. Below are three key blocks of restrictions and their practical consequences.

1) Advertising: "hard mode" with phased tightening

From July 1, 2023, advertising of gambling on television, radio, cinema, print, outdoor media and online (websites and social networks) is prohibited in Belgium. This is a basic "stop line," on which sports restrictions are further layered: from January 1, 2025 - a ban on advertising in stadiums, and from January 1, 2028 - a complete ban on sponsorship of professional sports clubs (including logos on uniforms). Such measures are conceived to reduce the normalization of gambling and protect vulnerable groups, while the regulator leaves minimal information windows only for licensees and messages about responsible gambling.

What it means for brands and clubs. Sports contracts are transferred to the "gray zone of visibility": until 2028 - the gradual dismantling of logos and inventory, the transition to initiatives without direct promotional identification (CSR, educational projects, RG campaigns) and strict legal filters to any integration.

2) Deposit limits: €200 per week "per site" + strict verification

From October 20, 2022, the standard weekly deposit limit in online games has been reduced to €200 for each player and for each licensed site (previously €500). Raising the bar is possible only after regulatory and banking checks of solvency; operators are required to build in default limits, notifications and self-monitoring mechanisms (timeouts, cooling).

Official sources (including explanations on the resources of financial and legal institutions) directly record: "as a player, you can upload a maximum of 200 euros per week and to the site" - this is an important detail for multi-brand ecosystems.

Practice for operators. In addition to the technical implementation of the limits, they are critical: checking the status of the player in EPIS, monitoring "overflows" between the group's brands, transparent telemetry for deposits/limit elections and a protocol of informed consents when trying to increase the limit.

3) Blocking illegal sites: "black list," ISP-blocking and payment filters

Since 2011, BGC has been maintaining and regularly updating the black list of illegal domains. Most Belgian internet service providers (ISPs) block access to these sites; additionally, measures are taken to block payment routes. Since 2022, cooperation with the telecom regulator has been strengthened to increase the efficiency of blocking and inform ISP.

The mechanism is not "paper": in 2025, BGC continues to expand the list, publicly adding new domains, and profile media record regular waves of sanctions. For players, this reduces exposure to offshore sites without RTP/payment control, for licensees, it increases the level of sewage to the legal perimeter.

How to live with these rules

To players

Keep in focus: limit €200/week/site - default. Planning more - prepare for additional checks and possible failure.

Choose only licensed. be sites: this is access to EPIS protection, fair payments and dispute procedures; illegal domains in Belgium are systematically "jammed."

Operators/brands

Rebuild marketing under bans: refusal of mass advertising, ethical formats of RG communications, sports - only within the framework of transitional regimes until 2025/2028.

Technical compliance: automatic limits, smart risk alerts, tracking limits at player/site levels, activity logs and readiness for audit.

Legal perimeter: monitor the blacklist, implement payment and geo-filters, build procedures for responding to new blockages.

Conclusion: the Belgian model of "hard restrictions" is built on three pillars - anti-advertising, anti-risk through deposit limits and anti-offshore through blocking. In total, this strengthens the protection of players and the predictability of the legal sector, but requires operators to mature compliance processes, RG analytics and a cautious communication strategy.