The top 10 most popular gaming operators among young players in Belgium include three illegal operators, according to the latest survey from the country’s gambling regulator.
The Belgian Gaming Commission’s latest insights, which followed a similar survey in 2023, asked 1,000 people aged between 18 and 30 about their gaming behaviour.
As well as 70 per cent of the 10 most popular operators being licensed, the survey found that licensed operators are in general more popular than unregulated brands.
For young people in Belgium, online gambling is more popular than land-based gambling, the data also concluded. Nearly half (48 per cent) of 18-30-year-olds have participated in gambling online, while just over a third (37 per cent) gambled in land-based or retail settings.
Just over half (53 per cent) of respondents said they have gambled at least once since September 2024.
Despite Belgium enforcing a new legal gambling age of 21 for sports betting, arcades and bingo in September 2024, bringing those activities in line with the requirements for land-based casinos, the Commission’s survey found that 39 per cent of 18-20-year-olds still gamble.
Further insights included that over three quarters of players (84 per cent) play via licensed operators, but over a quarter (28 per cent) also use illegal sites.
Almost a third of respondents (32 per cent) pointed to recommendations from friends as their reason for choosing a gambling operator, making it the “most decisive factor.”
Twenty-two per cent said advertising on social media played a part, but only 12 per cent said sports sponsorship prompted their choice of operator.
