Belgium's Online Gambling Market Grows, But New Player Numbers Down
Belgium's licensed online gambling market continued to grow in 2025, but the country recorded a sharp drop in new player sign-ups, a trend the industry's operator association says points to more consumers drifting toward unlicensed sites.
Figures published in the Kansspelcommissie's (KSC) annual report show online gross gaming revenue (GGR) reached €964.46m in 2025, up 5.41% year-on-year, while land-based revenue from casinos, arcades, cafes and betting shops fell 7.17% to €656.09m.
Combined, total GGR across the regulated market was essentially flat at €1.62bn, down 0.07% on 2024.
New Player Sign-Ups Fall Sharply
The KSC's data shows 110,032 people registered with online betting sites for the first time in 2025, down 43.1% from 193,342 new registrations in 2024.
The regulator attributes part of that decline to Belgium raising the minimum online gambling age from 18 to 21, effective September 1, 2024, with players aged 21 to 29 now the largest group of newcomers.
Despite the fall in new sign-ups, average daily active online players rose 3% to 160,144, and 528,706 unique individuals gambled online at least once across the year.
BAGO Warns Of A Channelisation Problem
BAGO, the Belgian association representing licensed gambling operators, says the figures reinforce its long-running concern that consumers are being pushed toward the unregulated market.
The association points to its own research showing roughly a quarter of Belgian players have already used illegal gambling sites, with nearly half of self-excluded players later found gambling again through illegal channels.
BAGO argues that restrictions imposed on licensed operators have reduced the visibility of the regulated market, while unlicensed sites face no equivalent marketing constraints.
The association says players who move to illegal platforms lose the protections built into Belgium's regulated framework, including exclusion registers and deposit limits.
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What Comes Next
BAGO is pushing for Belgium's coalition government to follow through on commitments in its regeerakkoord (governing agreement) to give the KSC greater resources to act as a stronger regulator, arguing that is the only way to tackle illegal operators effectively while preserving a well-regulated private market.
The KSC has not set out a specific timeline for any new enforcement measures in response to this year's figures.
