Belgium has began a six-year gambling reform plan by appointing 12 members to the Kansspelcommissie, serving from the start of September.
The King of Belgium, Philippe, confirmed the names of all gambling regulatory members for the next six years in the Royal Decree, published in the Official Gazette.
There are six full members and six substitutes with a total of five Ministers across the ranks from Finance, Justice, Economy, Interior and Public Health.
Each Ministry has one Dutch-speaking and one French-speaking representative. All involved are entitled to a €62 attendance fee for each half-day meeting they attend for the Gaming Commission.
Earlier this year a study found that 30% of young people in Belgium used black market websites to gamble on sports.
Who Are Belgium’s Gaming Commission Members?
Jozef Jambon serves as Belgium’s Minister of Finance and will be represented by Anne-Laure Mouligneaux and Ignace Vandewalle as full members of the Commission.
Their colleagues, Caroline Dujacquier and Tom Van Caeckenberghe will represent the Finance Ministry as patron of the National Lottery.
Nathalie Patoussa and Daisy Vervenne represent the Ministry of Justice, responsible for shaping the country’s player protection policies.
Representatives of the Minister of Public Health are Ferdinand Van Der Gracht and Lena Boons, monitoring the implications of gambling on national health and attempting to combat addiction risks.
Michael Stokard and Sahin Yazici represent the Minister of Economy, focusing on how the gambling industry impacts economic growth, employment and market competitiveness.
The Minister of the Interior will be overseen by Stephane Obeid and Beatrice Vossen.
Gambling Reform Sees Wholesale Changes To Belgian Industry
Alterations began in July 2023 when strict advertising restrictions were introduced which prohibited promotion across all mediums including TV, radio, outdoors, magazines, newspapers and in public places alongside on websites and social media.
In September 2024 the minimum age for gambling in Belgium was increased from 18 to 21 years and more recently, sports clubs were informed they cannot accept front-of-shirt sponsorship deals with online casinos.
Joe Lyons is a betting industry writer for GamblingIndustryNews with years of experience on reputable gambling websites. Joe specialises in long form content in the world of sports betting and gambling. Joe is recognised as an expert in sports fields such as horse racing, soccer, NFL and NBA.
