Belgian Betting Sites: Expert Guide for Punters
Published on 24 Jul 2020
Love for sports is originally in the Belgians’ nature. The Belgian people can’t imagine their existence without horse racing or football. Starting from ancient times, they showed great results in all tournaments and competitions. No wonder that sports betting is one of the favorite pastimes of the country residents. With the development of online gambling in the region, Belgian punters can enjoy the most popular sports around the clock. The betting companies try to spice the players’ engagement with new offerings and teasing promotions to attract more sports fans to their platforms.
Unlike other European countries, Belgium has sharper regulations regarding sports betting, which creates certain barriers for local sportsbooks.
TOP-3 Belgium Betting Sites
- Esports betting
- Casino and live Casino
- TV games betting
- Good line of betting on American sports
- Esports betting
- Horse Racing Betting
- Casino
Gambling laws are strict both for international and domestic betting companies, but on the other hand, such a scrupulous approach safeguards gamers from scammers and black bookmakers. Understanding the gambling market, its current laws and regulations, that’s what every punter should start with before a real-money play on Belgian betting sites.
Belgium betting laws and regulations
If we return back in time for a couple of decades, we can see that gambling in Belgium has always been the No.1 favorite leisure. Of course, at that time, gamblers could not even forecast that the Internet and innovative technologies would make sports events as accessible as they are now. Alongside the accessibility, there came stricter regulations. As one of the prosperous European countries, Belgium takes certain measures to regulate the activity of sports betting operators and casinos on its territory. According to the Belgian Gaming Act, casino games and sports betting are legal in the vicinity, however, the operators need to be granted by the Belgian Gambling Commission to deliver their services to punters.
Bookies and casinos in Belgium are obliged to certain requirements, i.e., they need to have land-based establishments in the region if they want to provide their services online. In other words, if a Belgian betting site wants to legally operate in the country, it should have an offline spot there, granted with a license from the BGC. A couple of years ago, a leading online betting operator, Betway, had fully experienced the severity of Belgian laws. The gaming commission tried to annul the license of its land-based partner, and as we know, operators are forbidden to operate online without the offline spots in the region. Reportedly, Betway’s troubles with the Belgium gambling authorities related to the fact that the company had a self-titled casino, operating on the bookie’s website.
As for the other restrictions from the government, betting sites in Belgium are strictly forbidden to advertise ongoing sports competitions on their channels.
The betting companies are obliged to the fixed taxation according to their reported profit (players don’t have to pay applicable taxes for winning on betting). International bookmakers have the same rights to apply for a license in Belgium as their local co-brothers. They need to have official offline spots in the vicinity and grant a license from the Belgian Gaming Commission. The types of licenses differ for land-based provides casinos and sportsbooks. The last ones require an F1 type, which regulates sports betting.
As for the casual players, they take their own responsibility for betting on the black market. The Belgian government warns sports fans from dealing with illegal (unlicensed) bookmakers. Unfortunately, there are plenty of black bookies that do not bother themselves with working in accordance with the licensing system. We also warn gamblers to keep aside from such companies as there could be scammers among them. Besides, when you place bets on an unreliable betting site, you have no guarantees that you will receive your winning. When we monitor Belgian betting sites, we firsthand focus on their trustworthiness for the customers.
How to find trusted betting sites in Belgium
When betting on real money, the No. 1 priority is to detect the bookies that can be trusted by scammers. To do this, we prepared a checklist of ‘How to recognize a trusted bookmaker in Belgium.’
It consists of several key points:
Reputation
Reputable online betting operators provide all the required details about their legitimacy (license, head office address) on their websites with all rights reserved.
Customers’ reviews
Real people’s feedback plays an integral role in selecting a trusted bookie. Why? Players will not lie if they don’t like something about a betting site. On the contrary, they will try to warn others if a bookmaker cheats customers or if an operator promises a lavish welcome bonus and then surprises gamers with draconian wagering requirements.
Fixed odds
Even beginners in online betting know the importance of odds on the bookie’s website. Odds define what profit you can get on all particular bets you place. Trusted Belgium sportsbooks always tend to adjust the odds to make them more profitable for their loyal audience (it is called fixed odds). In another way, your bets may win dozens of times in a row, but does it really matter if the poor odds will not let you win more than $100 on a $10 bet?!
Reasonable wager
When choosing a bookie, always pay attention to its wagering requirements, i.e., how many times you need to roll over the winning to get your welcome bonus. Trusted operators always make this info visible on their websites (just under the first deposit bonus/min deposit details). Experts recommend picking up the sites that have a wager no more than x30.
Good loyalty scheme
If betting sites want to get into the list of the best online gambling operators they need ‘to fight for their loyal audience. Regular promotions give a great stimulus to players to return to this particular betting channel. Contests are another impetus towards the punters’ engagement because they usually have several winners, meaning that more players will like to try their luck.
Best Belgian betting sites for punters
As stressed earlier, Belgian people adore sports, and they also like to make a profit on their hobbies. The Belgian gambling sector has a list of the best operators that are equally trusted and profitable for customers. The most eminent Belgium betting platforms are:
- Ladbrokes
- Bwin
- SportsBet
- Betsson
- Unibet
- William Hill
All these sportsbooks have their own unique features, in addition to several other shared must-haves. These aspects play an integral role in the ranking of the best bookies in Belgium.
Easy and free registration
When signing up on the sports betting sites in Belgium, users need to pass verification. It is required to confirm your identity and to go forward with the account creation. Such operators as Bwin, Unibet, and Betsson offer a three-step registration for newbies. It is very convenient as users will get bored if a bookie will ask them to waste 30 minutes just to sign up. They want to place bets and win instead.
Rich markets choice
The best Belgium betting sites always tend to provide players with a rich sports markets assortment. The outstanding bookmakers have, at least, 30 sports in their content collection to satisfy the demands of the most demanded and skilled punters. Some operators are more specified on some peculiar sports.
For example, Unibet has the impressive volleyball and football markets with all huge global events and matches gathered on one platform.
If you are more into auto racing, hockey, or tennis, you can test your fortune on William Hill or Melbet. Such bookies as 22Bet, PokerStars, and Ladbrokes render a rich selection of esports and alternative betting options (politics, live games, TV awards, etc.).
Splendid welcome bonus
Respected Belgium sportsbooks always greet newcomers with sweet bounties that appear in the form of a lavish welcome bonus, promo codes, cashback, and free bets (some Belgium online bookmakers also offer splendid casino bonuses). Traditionally, a perk is given on the first deposit after registration on the portal. The sports betting sites with the most formidable welcome bonus on the min deposit of about $5 are William Hill, Bwin, Melbet, and Betsson. New players may also count on 100% perk on the first deposit for new customers on such betting sites as 22Bet, BetFinal, and Fezbet if the amount of the min deposit is €10 and more.
Latest Bonuses
Diverse payment system
The best Belgian online betting sites typically provide customers with a diverse selection of payment methods. When players give their preference to one particular operator from the long list, they need to know that they can deposit and withdraw funds in the most convenient for them way. Traditionally, punters from Belgium can make all money operations on the bookies’ sites via credit cards, direct bank transfer, and e-wallets (Skrill, Neteller, and others).
Affluent bets range
The primary thing we focus on when creating an account on the sports betting sites is what selection of bets the operators offer for gamblers. Surely, there are many other aspects that we take into consideration, like a site’s interface, functionality, friendly navigation, and so on and so forth. Still, no one will argue that bets choice is the top-3 factor (extra to great odds and wagers) when picking up a gambling website in Belgium.
The leading online gambling sites offer a rich line-up in this matter.
In addition to free bets, the betting gurus allow punters to place pre-match bets, bets on ongoing events (in-play), parlays (express bets), mixed bets, etc. Sportsbooks with the most affluent bets range in Belgium are Unibet, William Hill, Circus, Ladbrokes.
Ace customer support
An expert and skilled customer service team is a vital requirement that defines a respected sportsbook from weak competitors. Eminent bookies allow users to contact the help center reps in a way that is more convenient to them: via a live chat, email, or phone. When creating a ranking of the top bookmakers for the Belgian folk, we commonly monitor how they react to customers’ claims and resolve disputes. Operators with ace customer service in Belgium are Unibet, Bet365, Sportsbet.
It is not the full listing of strengths and advantages that the recognized Belgian sportsbooks offer to clients. In our ranking, we also check whether a bookie is mobile-friendly. The best betting sites with all rights reserved work to adjust a top-notch mobile version or mob application to provide gamblers with an ace user experience on their portals. Fast payouts are no less fundamental when earning money on betting. If the companies keep messing with players’ heads due to tiresome payout limits, nobody will choose them for regular use. HD live streams are another sign of the bookie’s top position in the betting sites ranking. Many recognized operators in Belgium hold live broadcasts of multiple tourneys and competitions directly on their platforms. The quality of broadcasts plays a big role here, as well as the number of streams per day. Such providers as Betwinner, Unibet, EnergyBet, Comeon hold around 1,000 broadcasts daily on all popular global events.
Top cash out betting sites in Belgium
Many outstanding Belgian betting websites offer a cash-out function for their customers. In fact, cash-out is a super necessary thing for both newbies and skilled gamblers because it allows them to adjust their first-place bet amid the entire gameplay. Cash-out helps minimize the risk of losing, which is especially evident during pre-match betting. When you bet on a particular match, team, or league in advance, it can be hard to forecast the exact outcome of the event even if your monitor statistics and have no doubts that your bet wins. But sporting competitions are a very tricky and unpredictable thing. A coach may change the team’s leading player during an ongoing event, and voila, the team’s chances reduce twice.
To protect your initial bet from an unsuccessful outcome, you can use the cash-out option and restore the bet partially or in full. Reputable betting providers always have this function in their arsenal. If you are a freshman in sports betting, make sure that a bookie will allow you to cash out your primary bet amid the events. Not all Belgian betting platforms have cash out, but we know what sportsbooks have the one.
You can see the listing below:
- Betsson
- Betwinner
- 888sport
- Unibet
- Bwin
Expert opinion
Belgium is a truly fruitful place for sports betting fans due to a splendid variety of bookmakers operating in the vicinity. Certainly, a strict gambling legislation policy and laws established by the authorities put certain restrictions on the local sportsbooks. Bookies that want to provide their activities in the area need to be granted gambling licenses and have offline representatives in the country. Such regulations have an impact on the gambling sector and may reduce the income of the new betting platforms, but they have their undeniable pros as well.
For example, a strict gambling policy decreases the number of swindlers, and thus, safeguards Belgian punters from the black bookies. We highly recommend all players use only reputable websites if they want to make a stable profit on sports betting. If you have any doubts about the bookies’ trustworthiness, we invite you to check our candid ranking of operators.
FAQ: You ask – We answer
Yes, betting on sports is legalized on Belgian territory and is regulated by the Gambling Commission. According to the local laws, sportsbooks need to receive a license (F1 for bookies) to deliver their services legally in the vicinity.
Casual players do not pay taxes on their winnings on the betting sites unless they are professional punters. Operators are applicable with a tax rate that varies depending on their license type and GGR rate.
The trustworthiness of bookmakers depends on several factors: a granted license, a good welcome bonus, reasonable min deposit and wager, loyalty to regular users, generous free bets, and top-notch customer support. You can check our list of the most trusted bookies to bet safely.
To pick the best online bookmaker, you need to consider your primary goal when creating an account on a bookie's website. If you aim to have some pleasure and earn some money on betting, you need to choose operators with profitable odds, in-play options, and reasonable wager. If you got used to winning big, your choice is the bookies without sharp withdrawal restrictions and so forth. Our unbiased ranking of the leading Belgian sportsbooks will help you select the best for you.
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