Belgium Online Gambling Nearly Doubled to 14.8% Since 2018 Despite EU-Toughest Ad Ban

"The Health Interview Survey 2023-2024 found that 14.8% of the Belgian population now gambles online, nearly double the 7.9% recorded in the 2018 survey wave despite the country's 2023 advertising ban on licensed private gambling operators. Overall, 31.9% of the Belgian population gambled at least once in the past 12 months and 8.0% gambled weekly per the same survey wave. Online gambling growth was concentrated in the 25-to-34 age bracket, with 20.2% playing on the internet."

"The Belgian Association of Gaming Operators (BAGO) called for stronger enforcement against unlicensed providers after the same survey showed 52.6% of Belgians are exposed weekly to at least one form of gambling advertising. The trade body's intervention frames the persistent weekly reach as the byproduct of two structural carve-outs in Belgian regulation: the National Lottery's exemption from the country's Gambling Act, and the continued presence of an illegal online gambling market that operates outside practical advertising restrictions."

"The 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%)."

Online gambling participation increased from 7.9% in 2018 to 14.8% in 2023-2024, nearly doubling despite a 2023 advertising ban on licensed private gambling operators. Overall, 31.9% of the population gambled at least once in the past 12 months, and 8.0% gambled weekly. Online gambling growth was concentrated among people aged 25 to 34, with 20.2% playing on the internet. The survey found 2.6% of the population at risk of problem gambling, rising to 7.7% among those who gambled in the past 12 months. Weekly advertising exposure reached 52.6%, with television, websites and apps, and social media as the highest exposure channels.

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