The Belgian National Lottery is currently evaluating potential software providers as they prepare for the launch of it's online gaming offering. The current scheduled opening for their online gaming site is sometime in 2009. The move by the state owned operator is intending of offering Belgians 'a safer alternative' to gambling with offshore operators.

The Belgian House of Representatives approved a law in January 2002 that rationalizes the operation and management of the National Lottery. At the same time they granted a license to organism online gambling services.

However moves toward that goal have only begun this year as the company has started seriously considering a move online.

Didier Reynders, Belgium's Finance Minister spoke before the House of Representatives and said that the evolution of the internet was irreversible. "More and more persons use the internet to purchase a variety of legal and illegal services and goods," he said.

"If the National Lottery is expected to fulfill the objectives it has been tasked with by law and by management, it should follow this evolution. Consumers who wish to play should be given the possibility by the National Lottery to do so in a responsible and safe manner, by means of a modern and attractive game offering and using modern communication technologies.”

According to Reynders the initial launch will be limited to games that are already in existence, such as Keno, Lotto, Euro Millions and Pick 3. He also said that the National Lottery is award of the need to employ measures that would promote responsible gambling and to protect groups that are at risk.

The new system will utilize electronic age verification tools in order to prevent minors from participating and will impose time and spending limits on users.

He said that at this stage the launch will be focusing on draw games only 'as experts agree that these represent the lowest risk of causing problem gambling'. We can expect that their online gaming offering will be expanded over time so they can compete with other online gambling operators.



- 2008-07-23