SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Belgium continues to make progress on ‘modernising its Gambling Law’, as it is announced that new customer data requirements are compliant with EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules.
Changes to the Gambling Law continue to be overseen by Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne with the objective of comprehensively protecting Belgian consumers from gambling harms.
Approved by the Council of Ministers, Van Quickenborne had recommended technical reforms on the management of player data submitted to ‘EPIS – Excluded Persons Information System’.
The overhaul of the EPIS self-exclusion system had been marked as a key objective of the government’s overhaul of gambling laws and operator standards.
A new EPIS system will require Kansspel Commissie (KSC), Belgium’s Gambling Authority, to record and keep sensitive customer data in order to process indefinite customer self-exclusion from all licensed gambling businesses (online and retail).
Furthermore, Belgian online gambling operators must lower their weekly deposit limit to €200 – previously set €500 from 20 October.
New data rules dictate that operators must keep records of engagement with new customers, who cannot be promoted bonuses or incentives to wager.
Further changes saw the Council of Ministers approve Minister Van Quickenborne’s demand that mandatory ID checks be applied to all gambling machines in retail, hospitality and leisure venues to verify age and customer verifications.
Van Quickenborne told the national media: “This is an important step in the fight against gambling addiction. We will no longer tolerate unbridled financial pain at the expense of people with addiction.”
