First Licensed Online Casino In Belgium Opens Doors to Gamblers

Partouche, a renowned Parisian gambling operator might have become the first licensed online casino in Belgium under the new Belgian gambling laws.

Partouche launched its Belgian online casino in full compliance with the new Belgian gambling laws. The operator has a commanding presence in Belgium due to the ownership of over forty percent of all Belgian land-based gambling operations.

The launch of what seems to be one of the earliest online casinos in Belgium follows the much anticipated liberalization of the online gambling market in the country. The new laws set a number of regulations for the gaming operators.

The one regulation that is possibly illegal under EU charter, is the requirement for online casinos to have a physical presence in Belgium including a land based gambling license. In essence, Belgium opened its online gambling market only to established insiders and plans to censor tens of thousands of foreign based online bingo games in Belgium as well as sportsbooks, poker rooms and casinos.

According to Belgium gambling news Partouche worked closely with the Belgian Gambling Commission, providing advice on how to open up the market in the right way, and investing heavily in the future online gaming sector.

Managing director at Partouche Casinos Belgium, Jacques Frojman, commented: "We are the leading internet operator that also owns land casinos in Belgium. This aspect represents a real added value for our players who know exactly where they can get their questions answered and where they can get help.”

He went on to add: “This aspect will reassure players who doubt the reliability and safety of gambling online.”

It remains to be seen just how successful online gaming operators will be in Belgium and if they won’t suffer the same fate as in France. Draconian gambling taxes nearly killed the online gambling sector in France with more and more operators opting to leave the French market in search for better tax climate.