Belgium Lotto calls for full alignment on gambling protections
The leadership of Loterie Nationale Belgique (LNB) has called on Belgium’s government to align protections and duties to safeguard consumers.
The demand was led by LNB Director General Jannie Haek during a Brussels webinar titled “Show Your Cards”, in which the National Lottery presented consumer data and outlined the safeguards it applies across its products.
Haek used the event to argue that Belgium requires a more transparent and proportionate regulatory framework, one in which consumer protection obligations are applied consistently across all gambling verticals and operators.
Central to LNB’s proposals was the introduction of an independent measurement framework covering the entire gambling ecosystem. The system would require operators to share player data and provide policymakers with a clearer understanding of gambling participation, risk exposure and behavioural trends.
“By sharing our data, we agree to be scrutinised, questioned and compared,” Haek stated, framing transparency as a prerequisite for evidence-led gambling regulation.
“[Sharing our data] is the price we must pay if we want to pursue a more serious policy, based on facts and the real risks of gambling.
“The time has come to take proportionate measures and thus achieve a properly regulated sector, in which there is scope for free enterprise without causing harm to the community, a loved one or oneself.”
Reforms to Belgium’s gambling laws and consumer protection framework have been led by the Ministry of Justice since 2021, as policymakers move to strengthen safeguards and tighten regulatory controls across the market.
Key measures have included the introduction of mandatory weekly deposit limits of €200 in 2021, designed to strengthen player protections and reduce gambling-related harm.
Whilst 2024 reforms introduced stricter licence conditions, preventing operators from combining multiple online licence categories — such as casino gaming, slots and sports betting within a single website.
LNB detailed the consumer safeguards already embedded within its operations, highlighting limits on deposits, winnings and losses alongside artificial intelligence systems used to monitor gambling behaviour.
The lottery stated that its AI tools analyse player activity and can trigger automated warnings or direct interventions when high-risk patterns emerge.
According to LNB figures, nearly 95% of players never reached existing protection thresholds. During 2025, the average stake per play stood at €4.48.
Across more than 1.2 million active player accounts, combined balances exceeded €16m, equivalent to an average balance of €12.80 per customer.
The broader Belgian gambling market continues to operate at a substantially larger scale. LNB cited figures showing €33.7bn was spent on lotteries, betting and games of chance during 2024, while the National Lottery itself generated €1.55bn in stakes.
The intervention places LNB firmly within a wider European debate over regulatory consistency, channelisation and proportional safeguards, as gambling operators and governments continue to navigate how consumer protections should evolve alongside digital gambling products.
For Belgium’s National Lottery, the message delivered in Brussels was clear: stronger oversight begins with shared accountability, transparent data and common standards applied across the entire sector.
https://lotterydaily.com/2026/05/27/retail/belgium-gambling-report/