Checking a Belgian casino licence: three quick checks

A gambling site can display a licence number, show a padlock in the address bar and carry a neatly written terms page without being authorised in Belgium at all. Those elements take minutes to copy, and unlicensed platforms make full use of that.

One thing cannot be faked: the operator's presence in the public register kept by the Belgian Gaming Commission. Here is how to consult it, how to read what it shows, and what the law sets out for anyone who plays elsewhere.

First check: the register of authorised operators

The Gaming Commission publishes the list of licence holders on its own website. That is the reference document, maintained by the authority itself, and it can be consulted freely, with no account and no sign-up.

Look for the name of the operating company, not only the trading name of the site: the two often differ, since one company can run several brands. If neither appears, the site has no right to offer its games in Belgium, however polished it looks.

Second check: does the licence class match the games on offer?

Belgian licences are split by activity and by channel. The « + » after the letter marks the online version, which can only be granted to an operator that already holds a licence for a physical venue.

An A+ licence covers online casino games, a B+ those of gaming arcades, an F1+ betting. A site offering casino games on the strength of a betting licence is operating outside its remit, and that is a signal worth taking seriously.

Third check: does the number on display match the register?

An authorised operator puts its number at the foot of the page. The check consists of setting that number against the register and confirming that it really points to the company running the site in front of you, rather than to another brand in the same group.

Ours is B+3817, and our page on the legal online casino sets out what that licence requires of Dragon Casino: it gives you a full example of what you should be able to find elsewhere. All three checks together take under two minutes.

The blacklist of sites blocked in Belgium

The Commission also keeps the opposite register: the one listing banned gambling sites. Each addition follows a formal decision, published in the Belgian Official Gazette, after which Belgian internet providers must block access. The list now runs to several hundred addresses, and a site only comes off it after at least five years.

That list is useful, but it always arrives after the fact. A site created last week is not on it yet, and plenty of blocked platforms resurface under another domain name. Being absent from the blacklist therefore proves nothing: only being present in the licence register counts.

What a player risks on an unauthorised site

In Belgium, the law does not target operators alone. Article 4 of the Gaming Act also forbids taking part in an illegal game of chance, and provides for a fine on the player of €26 to €25,000, increased by the statutory surcharges.

A more common difficulty comes on top of that: with no Belgian licence, nothing obliges the operator to pay out your winnings, and no national authority can settle the dispute. Your personal and banking details, meanwhile, have already gone.

What to do when a site appears nowhere

Deposit nothing, and send no identity documents: an ID in the wrong hands is worth far more than the size of a deposit. If you already hold an account with a doubtful operator, stop playing there and request the payout of your balance in writing.

One more clue can be read without leaving the page: the payment methods. A site authorised in Belgium works with recognisable local options, as our guide to the payment methods accepted explains. When only obscure wallets or cryptocurrencies are on offer, the licence question is already settled.

A habit worth keeping for every site, ours included

Run these three checks before your first deposit, elsewhere just as much as here. An operator that does not state its number clearly rarely has a good reason for holding back, and you have no other way of knowing. Once that is settled, you can explore the full Dragon Casino catalogue and set your limits from your responsible gaming area.