2023-10-23 05:09:29
What the Gambling Commission also points out is the risk, for even young players, of falling into addiction: “We must not demonize the games found in these establishments, but we must not trivialize them either. They constitute a form of learning to play games of chance. They can be, for young children, a way of familiarizing themselves with more addictive and problematic games of chance.“.
Games that can encourage certain players to gamble very large sums, an open door to an addiction to games of chance.
The findings are striking. We therefore read the municipal regulations for funfairs and Luna Parks. We also looked at the federal gambling laws. We found nothing.
This is normal, at present, there is no legislation governing these machines.
The legislator at the time considered that these were games which presented fairly low risks and which were socially harmless, which had a purely recreational character.
” When the law on games of chance was adopted“, explains Magali Clovie, “it was decided that everything that was Luna Park, fairs etc. would not fall under the very strict conditions of this law and would not be controlled by the gaming commission. The legislator at the time considered that these were games which presented fairly low risks and which were socially harmless, which had a purely recreational character.“
Initially, according to the President of the commission, the law still provided for the establishment of supervision of these machines: “The government had to define the criteria under which these games could be made available to the public“.
The legislator had to define the minimum bets which required supervision but also the maximum winning amounts. Considering that these machines only made players spend “a few euros”, this framework was never established. However, the Commission has alerted the various federal governments several times in recent years, in September 2022, a notice is sent to the government of Alexander De Croo.
In this notice, we can read: “Certain games do not fall within the scope of the law on games of chance, due to their nature, limited stakes and winnings. These include card and board games, casual games and luna parks. For these activities, no license is therefore required. The King (NDRL the government) must however determine the conditions of the type of establishment, the type of game, the amount of the bet, the advantage that can be awarded and the average loss per hour. Given that until now, the King (the government) has not yet exercised this power of execution, these activities have been in a gray area for more than twenty years. This situation leads to legal uncertainty. The Games of Chance Commission is therefore asking for supervision of these games, coupled with measures to protect players.”
For the moment, more than a year later, no response has been provided to the Gaming Commission.
“However, we believe that it is absolutely necessary“, continues the President of the Commission, “there needs to be regulation for this type of games. We want to avoid excesses, we want to know what we mean by limited gains. We see too much excess.“
While waiting for the legislator to provide a clear framework for this type of machine, the commission asks that parents make children aware: “We often play these machines as a family. We must directly convey the message that in the end it is always the operator who will win and that the chances of obtaining the plush toy are minimal and we must set, before starting to play, a maximum amount that ‘we will not exceed.“
Contacted by us, the Belgian Union of Fairgrounds has not yet responded to our request for an interview.
If you are a player yourself and need help, the information can be found here:
1698041889
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