List of bookmakers in Belgium

Betting in Belgium

Online sports betting in Belgium is a highly regulated industry. Since the introduction of online gambling in 2011, numerous online betting operators have applied for a licence to operate. However, most of them have dropped out or had their request denied.

These operators need to apply for a special licence issued by the Gambling Commission. Firstly, sports betting operators need a licence for land-based betting, and only after obtaining this can they proceed to apply for an internet gambling licence.

However, there are other options for sports betting in Belgium – offshore betting platforms. As they do not operate under Belgian jurisdiction, Belgium’s strict gambling laws do not apply to them. However, if something goes wrong, you cannot count on the country’s government to help you, as they are not authorised to intervene. So, choose wisely.

History of online betting in Belgium

The origins of gambling in Belgium, as in most northern European countries, can be traced back hundreds of years through evidence of card games and lotteries from the 1300s and a national lottery from the 15th century.

Another important landmark was the Grand Casino building, designed by renowned Belgian architect Leon Steinen in the seaside town of Knokke. Unfortunately, the building suffered significant damage during World War II, but it was restored and is the largest casino in Belgium, also famous for art exhibitions and musical performances.

Due to its growing popularity the casino began operating all year round in the 1960s, previously it was only open in the summer due to its seaside location, while further renovations were carried out in the 1980s.

Gambling was not legalised in Belgium until 1999, when the Belgian Gambling Commission was established. For the first time in the country’s history, this meant that all gambling activities would be licensed, regulated and controlled by the state, and the Commission would include representatives from the departments of Justice, Finance, Economy, Interior and Public Health.

The Gambling Act of 7 May 1999 defined gambling as a form of “gambling”, which means “any game in which a bet of any kind is placed, the consequences of which are either the loss of the bet by at least one of the players or a win of any kind in favour of at least one of the players or the organisers of the game, and in which chance is a factor, albeit an auxiliary one, in the conduct of the game, the determination of the winner or the fixing of the winnings”.

The next major moment in the history of betting in Belgium came in 2011, when the Belgian Gambling Act made significant changes to the laws relating to betting, most notably the legalisation of online gambling, which was merged with land-based gambling.

Key factors when choosing a bookmaker

Deposit and withdrawal options are one of the key factors that new players in the Belgium consider when choosing a bookmaker. But they are far from the only ones. Our research shows that below are the five most important factors Belgium punters consider when choosing an online betting site:

1. Secure transactions
2. A trustworthy reputation,
3. Free, easy and fast transactions,
4. Favourable / generous bonuses
5. Wide range of sports to bet on

Just like deposit and withdrawal options, the legal environment also affects which sports you can bet on.
Online betting sites tend to offer a wider selection of sports than retail bookmakers. Before choosing a bookmaker, look at what sports they offer, how in-depth they cover each one, whether they have the types of bets you want to place, and how their odds compare to the competition.

When it comes to reputation, don’t stop at word of mouth. Read our detailed bookmaker reviews and search the various sites on the BelgiumGC’s public register. As mentioned above, the BelgiumGC tracks all sanctions imposed against betting sites and keeps detailed records of complaints filed against them.
Finally, when comparing bonuses, current legislation requires betting sites to state all applicable terms and conditions. You are required to read the fine print. If you believe that a bonus was misleading or that a bookmaker has falsely advertised an offer, you can make a complaint to the BelgiumGC.

How popular is sports betting in Belgium?

Betting on sports in Belgium is considerably popular, and the regulation and licensing in the country ensures a safe environment for players. Cities like Brussels, Antwerp and Bruges have many betting shops and casinos where people can bet on a variety of sports.

1. Football is probably the most popular sport to bet on in Belgium, with a big focus on the national Jupiler Pro League and international competitions such as the Champions League and European Championships.
2. Cycling is also very popular, especially betting on major races such as the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, given the rich history of success of Belgian cyclists.
3. Tennis attracts attention due to the success of Belgian tennis players on the international stage. Betting on Grand Slam tournaments and local competitions is popular among Belgians.
4. Formula 1, thanks to the Belgian Grand Prix held at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, also features prominently among the preferences of Belgian betting enthusiasts.

Online sports betting is also widespread and is regulated by the Belgian Gambling Commission, which issues licences and monitors operators. This provides a high level of protection for players and promotes responsible gambling.

How betting is regulated in Belgium

Betting on sports is completely legal in Belgium, and all of our recommended bookmakers are legal to register and bet online with confidence. Since 2011, Belgians have enjoyed betting on football, cycling, hockey and many other sports in a safe and regulated online environment by the Gambling Commission, which was established by the Gambling Act of 7 May 1999.

Retail betting has also been legalised in the country since 2002, almost a decade before digital betting was legalised. This allows betting at licensed betting shops, with operators required to hold the relevant licence and renew it every three years.

The Belgian Gambling Commission has also introduced a new limit on the number of licence concessions to a maximum of 30 operators.

? Country	Belgium
? Currency	Euro
⚽ Popular Sports	Football, Cycling, Tennis, Formula 1
? Most Popular Payment Methods	Visa, MasterCard, Skrill, Neteller

Top 5 casino sites in Belgium

1xbet

1xBet is a serious online bookmaker when you consider the sheer number of sports you can bet on. Some of the popular sports at 1xBet include cricket, kabaddi, tennis, football, basketball and table tennis, most of which we will discuss in detail later.

The 1xBet bookmaker has a rich line-up of sporting events, which includes around 40 sports. All professional level tournaments held on different continents are covered. The higher the status of the event, the more markets the lineup contains. In addition to the standard set of markets – 1×2, total, handicap, Asian handicap, exact score – you can find bets on individual statistics, outcomes for time periods, victory with advantage, fouls, offsides, throw-ins, shots on the bar and crossbar.

A rich selection of bets is noted in the long-term betting section. Bettors have the opportunity to predict the results of tournaments, the rating at the end of the calendar year, individual awards and other outcomes. In terms of the quality of the sports line 1xBet bookmaker is rightly considered the leader of the betting industry in the CIS.

Also, the clients of the BC are offered extended betting opportunities, namely:

• Coupon sales. Without waiting for the calculation of the bet, the bettor can redeem it in full or in part and immediately receive money on his balance.
• Bet insurance. A bet participant can insure an order or express on a paid basis – fully or partially. This option allows you to reduce the size of the probable loss.
• Coupon editing. As long as the coupon is available for sale, a player can make adjustments to it by replacing, adding or deleting an event.
• Betting by phone. To bet from the phone, the user can download the bookmaker’s official application.

Betwinner

Betwinner is doing a lot of things right, deserving of praise and ranking among the best gambling sites in the world. First of all, the first thing that catches the eye is the immaculate layout and colourful green theme that is pleasing to the eye.

Inside, the bookmaker provides plenty of real-time betting options. You’ll also love the quality odds and plenty of betting features! The option to live stream live events is at the top of my list.

Secondly, the match statistics were very helpful in guiding my research. What is more appealing is the quality bonuses.

Lootbet

Loot.bet is an online gambling site founded in 2016, and unlike some older sites like Bet365, which expanded into cybersports after offering traditional betting services, they were solely focused on the cybersports betting market. But recently, classic sports have also been added to the site.

Loot.bet now offers a wide range of cyber sports for betting including League of Legends, CSGO, DOTA 2, Starcraft, Rocket League, Rainbow 6, Overwatch, King of Glory, Hearthstone, NBA 2K League, Call of Duty, Heroes of the Storm, FIFA and DOTA Underlords. This puts them on par with other popular cyber sports betting sites such as Arcanebet and GG.bet in terms of the number of games on offer. They also provide a decent number of betting markets on more popular cyber sports such as CSGO and DOTA2.

Live or in-play betting is becoming increasingly popular and Lootbet offer this on many matches and tournaments. They also stream many matches live so you can follow the action and see how your bets are going.

Of course, one of the main concerns for many punters is the type of odds they can get on their bets. Loot Betting looks favourable compared to other popular betting sites such as Betway’s CS GO site, and their odds are very competitive and better than those offered on many other sites for betting on teams in CSGO.

Freshbet

FreshBet has all the features to become your favourite cyber sports betting platform. It offers a pretty decent selection of games and matches, as well as offering real-time and streaming betting options; the odds are quite favourable and the available payment gateways (cryptocurrencies are also accepted) make money transfers safe and timely.

Upon opening FreshBet’s cyber sports section, you’ll immediately be introduced to the full selection of cyber sports covered in the middle of the page. Simply scroll to the right to select which games you would like to bet on.

Available options include the following:

• CS: GO (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive);
• Dota 2;
• League of Legends;
• Valorant;
• Rainbow Six;
• StarCraft 2;
• Overwatch.

Currently, options for FIFA betting, NBA-2K betting and Fortnite betting are not available at FreshBet. However, check the site periodically to see if the section has been updated.

Cybersports tournaments and matches covered by FreshBet

Cybersports tournaments are a frequent occurrence involving the most popular games. That’s why FreshBet covers the most notable events in these cyber sports disciplines in the relevant section. In particular, if you like to bet on Dota 2, bet on October’s Dota 2 World Championship and International Tournament.

Meanwhile, LoL betting fans can bet on the League of Legends World Championship and all the preliminary matches. In addition to the tournaments mentioned above, FreshBet covers the Valorant Champions tournament, Elisa Masters, CS: GO Blast Premier, Overwatch League 2022, SC2 Master, European League 2022 on Rainbow Six and others. FreshBet also sometimes offers betting on Twitch in addition to tournaments.

FreshBet betting odds

FreshBet’s odds are quite competitive compared to competing platforms. Before placing a bet, consider the odds offered for pre-match betting and in-play betting. The company provides the option to switch between decimal (default), American and fractional odds.

Ditobet

Since the beginning of the company’s history, Ditobet book has been licensed by the government of Curaçao to meet international standards of betting and gambling services. Thus, customers can bet on the IPL and other famous sports tournaments, as well as receive numerous bonuses.

Moreover, the current features focus on providing players with match review and analysis tools that allow them to bet in rupees. Modern payment methods in your profile settings will allow you to make deposits and withdrawals virtually hassle-free. Ditobet falls in the rankings of best cricket betting sites, best football betting sites, best tennis betting sites, chess betting sites, badminton betting sites and other rankings.