Belgium’s Online Gambling GGR Rises 5.4 Percent as First-Time Player Registrations Drop 43.1 Percent
Belgium’s online GGR reached €965m in 2025, up 5.4%, but first-time player registrations fell 43.1% to 110,032 amid stricter age and compliance rules. BAGO warns 28% of 18-30 year olds have used illegal sites, signaling channelisation failure. Daily active players rose 3% despite the drop.
SCCG Take — Strict protections are driving players underground. Regulators must enhance enforcement against illegal operators while restoring visibility for licensed offerings to protect the regulated market.
Belgium’s licensed online gambling market continued to expand in 2025 despite a significant drop in new participants. The Kansspelcommissie (KSC) reported online gross gaming revenue (GGR) of €965m, up 5.4% year-on-year and now accounting for 59% of the regulated market. Land-based gambling revenue fell 7% to €656.09m.
The annual report reveals a sharp reduction in player recruitment. First-time online registrations totaled 110,032, down 43.1% from 193,342 in 2024. The KSC links part of the decline to the minimum gambling age rising from 18 to 21, effective 1 September 2024. Average daily active online players still increased 3% to 160,144, while 528,706 unique individuals gambled online at least once during the year.
Voluntary exclusions climbed to 66,998 from 56,458. Average daily visits to physical venues dropped 24.5% to 27,532.
Data Revisions and Access Controls
Updated requirements for quarterly digital financial submissions, fully processed after the appointment of a dedicated Financial Control employee in December 2025, produced these figures. Mandatory EPIS checks before every player access resulted in 715,373 blocked visits across physical and online channels.
BAGO Warns of Black Market Risks
BAGO, the Belgian association of gambling operators, stated that the numbers signal growing movement to unauthorised sites. “The fact that 28% of respondents aged 18 to 30 state they have already played on an illegal gambling site is an alarm signal that cannot be ignored,” BAGO stated, according to reporting by SBC News.
The association noted that three years of tightened rules—including an advertising ban, the age increase, and stricter KYC—have reduced visibility for legal offerings while illegal providers market aggressively. It urged KSC Chair Magali Clavie to strengthen the regulator, preserve a recognisable legal market, and target illegal operators and their financial flows. Players on illegal sites fall outside EPIS controls, deposit limits, and KSC supervision.
The risk lies in further erosion of the licensed base. Belgian authorities face the task of tightening enforcement against black market activity without rendering regulated options even less competitive.
Reporting: SBC News
Generated by SCCG’s automated editorial system from published source reporting. SCCG Management holds editorial responsibility.
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