A new report from the Commission des Jeux de Hasard (CJH), the regulatory body for gambling in Belgium, revealed that the country’s sector saw its gross gaming revenue (GGR) grow by 16.7% in 2023.
Gross gaming revenue is €1.7 billion in Belgium
Total gross gaming revenue in Belgium for 2023 was €1.7 billion (£1.5 billion/$1.9 billion), a significant increase from the €1.5 billion generated in 2022.
Furthermore, online value grew by 18% to a GGR of €944.6 million. But offline GGR also increased substantially, with €758 million reflecting a 15.2% year-on-year increase.
The growth occurred despite the Belgian government increasing restrictions on the sector. From 2022, operators have had to impose a €200 weekly loss limit, down from 2020’s €500 limit.
Thus, in mid-2023, they were forced to suspend all advertising. Afterwards, a last attempt by a consortium of Belgian sports teams and operators was made, but it failed to prevent the change. Then, the advertising ban came into effect from July 1, 2023.
Belgian gambling market grows in 2023
Casino revenue rose 18.7% year-on-year to €594.9 million, driven by a 20.2% increase in online GGR, which reached €455 million.
GGR from land-based casinos lagged behind, but still grew by 14.3%, reaching €139.9 million. Of the nine land-based casinos in Belgium, only Casino Blankenberge – acquired by Kindred Group in 2020 – reported a year-on-year decline in GGR.
Casinos Austria International’s Grand Casino Brussels led the way with an offline GGR of €52.5 million, considerably ahead of Circus Casino Resort Namur in second place with €22.5 million.
But when it comes to online revenue, only three casinos recorded a drop. One of these was Middelkerke Casino, which did not have an active license as of 2023. However, in February this year, Betsson-owned Betfirst announced that it would launch an online casino at Middelkerke Casino, thanks to an agreement with Groupe Partouche , casino owner.
Meanwhile, slots also recorded strong growth, as GGR increased by 17.3% to €437 million.
In other words, once again, online was an important factor, representing 57.7% of slot machine parlor revenue, with an increase of 19.4%, reaching 252 million euros. The in-person GGR of automatic gaming rooms also grew, with an increase of 14.5%, reaching 184.9 million euros.
