Belgium Announces New Casino Reopening Rules and Protocol
Belgium has announced a new protocol affecting the reopening of casinos, coinciding with the ending of national lockdown, the government wants to maintain order. The changes were announced via the Official Gazette, Belgium’s state-owned newspaper and media service. The major takeaway from the article is that casinos will have limited gaming hours; their services will be available from 5 pm to 11:30 pm on both weekdays and weekends. The regulations were communicated to land-based establishments months in advance.
Belgium’s casinos will open following new protocol set out by the government. This will include amendments to opening and closing times and also the number of customers in the premises at one time. ©ErinSummer/Pixabay
The Belgium government has reiterated that these rules will apply to other sectors, including hospitality and leisure. Masks are to remain permanent while inside the public property, and social distancing will continue for the foreseeable future. Customers are allowed to visit casinos in up to groups of four. Any non-compliance with the rules will result in the immediate removal of guilty individuals.
On top of this, staff are required to check the temperature of any visitors in case they are hiding their symptoms. Casino staff are now required to consistently disinfect surfaces and communal areas to maintain cleanliness and prevent the spread of germs. Slot machines will now have a special laminate to cover the buttons to keep the machine buttons clean, as disinfectant can potentially damage electronic components.
These new rules were announced on June 7th, and casino-goers are set to return in the coming days. Compliance with the regulations is expected to be easy as the public are now used to the measures from the beginning of lockdown. Belgian lockdown began in March 2020, and since then, the government has removed and reinstated safety measures numerous times to appease the public but also prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Belgium is one of the lesser affected countries in all of Europe and has maintained relatively low infection rates throughout the entire pandemic. This is partly due to the sparsely populated nature of the country; roughly 11m people live there, with over 1.2million in the capital, Brussels. Known for its medieval towns and renaissance architectural style, Belgium is one of Europe’s most picturesque nations.
Belgian Police Involved with Protocol Compliance
The most noteworthy aspect of Belgium’s new legislative changes is the inclusion of police interference. While police have received negative press across the world, especially in America, public opinion has changed significantly, and their role in casino reopening is without a doubt controversial. They are now in agreement with the Belgium gambling authority and will assist them with private information access.
The use of data collection and public information in private databases will now be available for the gambling commission in an effort to crackdown on illicit gambling organizations and instances. The casinos themselves will have access to customer databases confirming any criminal records or suspicious activity attached to any individual on their premises.
Belgium authorities have been active recently, issuing over 50 sanctions in 2020. The commission revealed a backlog of over 100 cases still to be resolved, with possible sanctions for establishments not playing by the rules. Legislation dictates that the gambling authority can fine casinos but cannot act upon their investigations and must instead hand details over to the police for any potential arrests.
Authorities in Brussels have also pioneered a new ‘Safer Play’ campaign which will prevent underage users from accessing gambling content and also lessen the impact of advertising and psychological damage. The campaign was brought in to coincide with the European Championships as the viewership of the matches is very high in the European nation.
Belgium’s Casinos Hit New Heights
They also released the gross revenue figures from last year, and surprisingly, many casinos managed to achieve greater numbers than the previous year despite the pandemic. The Brussels casino made over €50 million, while online casinos such as The Spa eclipsed this figure , earning over €55 million in 2020.
Online casinos were unsurprisingly far more successful than their land-based counterparts, as gamblers were stuck at home, many sought out online conveniences to continue gaming during the lockdown. Record numbers are expected in gambling halls next week once they reopen. Due to the excessive demand, punters must now book in advance to get a spot at the poker table or any other games they wish to participate in.
Mandatory deposit limits are now in place to prevent excessive individual usage, as the country has made a significant effort to lessen the impact of predatory advertisements and limit damage to underage users. While there have been few cases of underage gambling, they want to prevent Belgium from ending up like The Netherlands, where an epidemic of teenagers illegally betting has occurred for years.
