Regulator Urges Advertisement Clampdown In Belgium

For some time now, Belgium’s gaming marketplace has been subjected to increasingly tighter control methods. The Belgian Gaming Commission has now asserted that serious reform is required in how gambling firms present products through advertising.

The regulator has proposed a sweeping ban on specific marketing efforts which target younger age groups, and also called for a curtailment on the volume of advertising campaigns. However, rather oddly, its yet to release any guidance on what these limitations would look like. The GC’s announcement comes amidst a general wave of focus on player protection, with the national government recently imposing a blanket ban on bonus and promotional activity.

No less than six ‘strict measures’ have been recommended. Alongside a closedown of personalized marketing ads to youthful audiences, the Commission suggested preventing operators from contacting those who have taken extended breaks in play. Advertisement in high-profile public locations would go, and all advertising tools would need to carry messages of caution about the potential of harmful betting.

The Gaming Commission has also re-emphasized its own need for greater control of the market, with the regulator currently unhappy around its level of authority and operational effectiveness. The organization claims the time taken to pursue and reprimand those who contravene rules is too long, and have therefore requested new powers that would facilitate swifter and more suitable punishment. It also stated that any new rules would need built-in flexibility that would help procedures evolve with shifting marketplace conditions.

A regulator spokesperson said that ideally, ‘’guidelines would have the advantage of being ‘future proof’ and evolutionary in order to better reflect reality and changes on the ground. This would also strengthen the role of the Gaming Commission as regulator of the sector’’, adding ‘’conducting a lengthy sanctions procedure, as is currently the case, is of no use in the context of an advertising campaign that is short-lived by nature’’.