Belgium Restricts Online Gambling Advertising, Will UKGC Follow Suit?

In April 2018, Belgium's authority on gambling outlawed loot boxes in video games, becoming the first of an inevitably growing list of nations to ban the practice.

One such nation is that of the United Kingdom, whose government commission have been debating the matter, with a specialized committee, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Committee, recommending that loot boxes come under the ruling of the Gambling Act. While the UK will almost certainly follow suit in this aspect of law, the UK Gambling Commission may also look to take a leaf out of Belgium's books when it comes to online gambling advertisements as well.

Belgium amends its gambling laws

Having been approved in April this year, the amendments made to Belgium's Gambling Act are having a huge impact on the online gambling industry within the nation. While new playing limits, a ban on credit cards, and the removal of virtual sports were among the highlights, the biggest changes will come to one of online gambling's most utilized practices: bonus offers.

Due to the sheer level of competition in the online gambling space, outlets began offering bonuses to new players. In a constant race to get out in front, these bonuses grew from small amounts of bonus cash to sums in the thousands of matched deposit bonuses, hundreds of free spins, and now no-deposit bonus funds or spins. Naturally, having such promotions don't mean anything if potential customers don't see them, so they became the center of brands' advertising campaigns across the internet.

However, that will no longer be the case in Belgium, with the Belgian Gaming Commission moving to restrict the advertising of online gambling offers and bonuses. Online casinos can now exclusively advertise their bonuses and free spins on their websites: no television adverts, no social media adverts, and no advertising through the affiliate market. Welcome bonuses are still permitted, but they are capped at €275.

Will the UK follow suit?

Gambling advertisements have been a particular focus of the UK Gambling Commission of late, with the governing body seeking new ways to make the industry as safe as possible for all of its players. The UK industry recently entered into an agreement to not advertise during live sporting events before 9 pm local time, but general advertising of bonuses, brands, and features is still allowed across all other mediums.

Under the ruling of the UK Gambling Commission, the UK gambling scene has become one of the strongest in the world across all areas and worth over £14 billion. While live sport advertising is banned, the popularity of the activity in the UK has led to a healthy affiliate market in which websites review, rate, and showcase casinos and casino bonus offers, as well as there also being a good understanding between brands that they need to follow the regulations of the UKGC and put customer care first.

However, following some insights from the Advisory Board for Safer Gambling, it looks as though the UK will begin to move towards tighter advertising regulations. As stated by Neil McArthur, chief executive of the UKGC, while advertising technology hasn't been found to be used to target certain people, he would like that same technology to be used to keep adverts away from potential problem gamblers. This would be quite the undertaking by any means, and if it isn't a viable option, it could lead to the UK following in the footsteps of Belgium.

If this were to be the case, it seems unlikely that the affiliate market would be targeted due to the websites themselves being contained advertisements. However, stopping advertising on UK websites that aren't strictly gambling focussed, such as social media platforms, may be on the cards. It will be interesting to see if Belgium has set the standard and if the UK takes a leaf out of their book or uses the script in its entirety.