Belgium's gambling revenue rises 16.7% in 2023 despite stricter regulations

Belgium's gambling industry has recorded growth in 2023, with gross gaming revenue (GGR) increasing by 16.7% over the previous year, according to a recent report from the Commission des Jeux de Hasard (CJH), the nation's gambling regulator. The industry’s total GGR reached €1.7 billion ($1.9 billion), up from €1.5 billion ($1.64 million) in 2022.

Online gambling played a key role in this growth, with online GGR surging by 18% to €944.6 million ($1,033.89 million). Offline gambling also saw a notable increase, with GGR rising by 15.2% to €758 million ($829.65 million).

This growth comes amid tightening regulations imposed by the Belgian government. From 2022, operators were required to enforce a weekly loss limit of €200 ($218.91), a reduction from the previous limit of €500 ($547.26). 

Further restrictions were introduced in 2023, including a comprehensive ban on gambling advertising that took effect on July 1, after a consortium of Belgian sports teams and operators failed to block the measure.

Despite these restrictions, the casino sector in Belgium experienced significant gains. Casino GGR increased by 18.7% year-on-year, totaling €594.9 million ($601.88 million). This was largely driven by a 20.2% increase in online casino GGR, which reached €455 million ($498. million). Physical casinos also contributed to this growth, with brick-and-mortar GGR rising by 14.3% to €139.9 million ($153.12 million).

Among Belgium’s nine land-based casinos, all but one reported year-on-year growth in GGR, with Casinos Austria International’s Grand Casino Brussels leading the pack at €52.5 million ($57.46 million). The only exception was Casino Blankenberge, which saw a decline in GGR.

As for online, only three casinos saw GGR decrease, including Middelkerke Casino, which didn’t have an active online license in 2023. However, in February 2024, Betsson-owned Betfirst launched an online casino at Middelkerke Casino through a deal with Groupe Partouche, the casino’s owner.

Slot arcades in Belgium also reported a strong performance in 2023. The sector’s GGR increased by 17.3% to €437 million ($478.31 million), with online activities accounting for 57.7% of this revenue, rising by 19.4% to €252 million ($275.82 million). In-person GGR for automatic games rooms also saw a 14.5% increase, reaching €184.9 million ($202.38 million).

In contrast, the betting sector experienced slower growth compared to the casino segment. Betting GGR rose by 8.4% to €390 million ($426.87 million), with online betting continuing to dominate the market. Online betting GGR increased by 12.8% to €237.6 million ($260 million), while revenue from betting shops grew modestly by 2.3% to €152.4 million ($166.81 million). Football remained the most popular sport for betting, contributing 77.1% of the sector's total GGR.

The CJH did not disclose the market share of individual licensees, but it noted that ten of the 24 licensed operators in Belgium were responsible for 96% of offline bets and 94% of online wagers. Out of 30 available licenses, only 24 were utilized during 2023.

The newsagent sector, however, was adversely affected by new regulations introduced in 2022. Newsagents were restricted to accepting bets only between 6 AM and 8 PM, with an annual limit of €250,000 ($273,632.5) in stakes per newsagent. 

These measures led to a 26.3% drop in GGR for newsagents and resulted in 21 refusals of license renewals, 82 licensees not seeking renewal, and 151 ceasing operations entirely. By the end of 2023, only 1,484 newsagent licensees remained active, down from 1,580 at the end of 2022.

Belgium is set to implement further regulatory changes. Starting September 1, the legal gambling age in the country will be raised to 21 years. A recent report cautioned that these ongoing changes could negatively impact the channelization toward legal gambling markets.